


Mt. Sapphire Academy

by smoke_the_writer



Category: Original Work
Genre: Based on a RP with my friends, F/F, F/M, LGBT characters, LGBTQ Female Character, Please read this mess i can't even explain it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-05-21 04:37:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14908460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoke_the_writer/pseuds/smoke_the_writer
Summary: A roleplay that I did with some friends. More interesting than it sounds.





	1. Lulana

Lulana widened her eyes in wonder as she stepped through the front doors of the building looming in front of her, crossing the threshold. She was greeted by a million sights and sounds, colors, and smells. Wow… it’s even more amazing than I could have thought… 

“Welcome to Mt. Sapphire, a school for heroes, ninjas, and spies alike,” chimed a voice over her head. She looked up at the ceiling. Lulana continued walking, distracted by the glittering ceiling until finally, something bumped right into her. She fell to the ground with a small yelp, temporarily blinded until she picked herself up from the floor, looking at who she had crashed into. 

“You really should watch where-” She stopped mid-sentence upon seeing the look on the other girls’ face. 

“Oh my gosh! Are you ok? My name is Puna. You new?” Standing in front of Lulana was a girl she hadn’t even noticed before bumping into her. Her bright orange hair was tied in a ponytail that reminded Lulana of fire, her eyes the brightest shade of yellow Lulana had ever seen, like a dragon’s gold. Lulana blushed and looked down, beginning to pick up her books. Puna asked the question again.

“Oh! Yeah… I’m new. I’m ok. I mean, yes, I am new. And yes, I’m ok. Thank you for asking.” Lulana stammered.

Puna laughed. “You're welcome.” 

Even my thoughts are a mess. I need to remind myself that I’m in control. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out.

Puna helped her up, and they started down the hall, walking at a somewhat slow pace. 

“Hey, I hear some people will be getting their first assignments this year. I hope I get mine!” Puna giggled nervously, rocking on the balls of her feet. “Wouldn’t that be great? Out in the world already.” 

Lulana nodded, not entirely sure what she meant by assignments. “Does everybody get one?” 

“I’m not sure. I just think it’s the most elite, those with the best grades these past few years, but I don’t really know.” Puna’s look was rather off-putting, like she wanted to be your friend, but could eat you if you made her mad. 

Most elite? Oh, dear, I’m not a spy. Why did the doors come to me? “Oh. I don’t know if I’d be ready but… It does sound kind of fun.” Lulana forced a smile. 

There was a ringing and Lulana looked up at the clock. They were late for their class. 

“Come on!” Puna grabbed Lulana’s wrist and they ran about the corridors, searching for their class. “How old are you?” 

“S-sixteen,” Lulana stammered. 

“Great. Then we’ll be in class together. Everybody from fifteen to seventeen or so are together. Other than Alex, of course. She’s only about fourteen.” Puna kept on about some of her classmates until finally, Puna stopped in her tracks. “Here’s our homeroom. The teachers should be giving out schedules, soon. If you’ve ever been to a normal school before, you’ll notice that a lot of the classes are… quite different.” 

When Lulana entered the classroom, there was an air of unwelcomeness, like everybody was about to shun her. She shuddered. At least I know Puna will be my friend… I hope. 

At first glance, the teacher had the kindest face in the room. “Puna? I expect you’re late because you were showing Lulana around?” 

How does she already know my name? 

“Oh, uh, of course!” Puna nodded eagerly. Lulana nodded as well, hoping it would get her out of trouble. 

“Well, then. I suppose I could excuse you, just this once. Take a seat wherever you’d like. Welcome, Lulana. My name is Ms. Abertura.” 

Puna pulled Lulana over to a table where two others were sitting. Both of them were clearly concentrated, one on her and the other on the teacher. She waved at the one staring at her, but she did not return the gesture. Instead, they both looked at Puna and gave her a sly grin. 

“Glad you made it, Puna. Good to see you again.” 

Puna shrugged. “Guess it’s good to see you, too, Warrene.” Puna turned to face Lulana. 

“Lulana, this is Warrene, with the ginger hair, and next to her is Jayden.” Jayden had the longest hair she had ever seen, with very dark eyes as well. Warrene had light, ginger hair in a neat bun and the brightest, most silver eyes she had ever seen. Lulana had the strangest feeling that every aspect of her was being examined like she could keep nothing from Warrene and Jayden, who were both now staring right at her. 

“Uh, hi?” Lulana said. “Nice to meet you, I guess?” 

Neither replied. Warrene grinned and gave a small wave. Jayden just nodded her head. Puna started to point to other students in the class, all around the table they were sitting at with Warrene and Jayden.

“And there at the table right in front of Warrene is her girlfriend, Mwo. Don’t say anything insulting. She’s had a rough life, and the smallest insult will trigger an hour long crying session.” Puna seemed serious, so Lulana decided not to mess with her, and instead examined Mwo. She was rather short with purple and dark orange hair, her eyes reflecting contempt about nothing in particular, and though she was blushing slightly, Lulana could see her skin was the color of the tea she used to drink. She sent Warrene a pleasant smile. “Oh, and over there are-” Puna suddenly turned back to the teacher, who had started to speak.

“Today, we will be preparing for our first assignments, which will be handed out within the next few weeks. As I’m sure all of you know, only the smartest and hard-working, or what you call it, elite will be chosen for these tasks, So I hope all of you try your hardest on these tests.” 

“Tests?” Jayden sighed, sinking into her chair. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do these until later.” 

The teacher laughed. “Don’t worry, Jayden. These won’t be written tests. We’ll go in groups of eight, one team against the other, two teams per round. You’ll be with whoever’s at your table, as well as one other table with you. Not very formal, but this is more of a team-building exercise.” She turned to Lulana. “Lulana, since this is your first day here, you can skip out on this, if you’d like, though I suppose you’ve had some training before. You could always sit on the sidelines if you want.” 

Puna replied for her. “Oh, no, I’m sure she’ll be fine. Don’t worry, her teammates will help her.” 

Lulana nodded nervously. She wasn’t sure how she felt. Before she could say anything, she was walking out the door, alongside her new teammates and friends. Only one day in and I’m already being assessed on my skills. 

The testing room was bigger than any room Lulana had ever seen in her life. It was currently a blank, empty, and almost daunting void, but Lulana watched as the teacher pressed a tiny button among one of the side walls, prompting it to turn on. 

Color and sound exploded across the room. It was overwhelming, too much for somebody to take in at one time. Lulana stepped backward. “Is… that what we’ll be using?” 

Warrene nodded. “And I think we’re going first.” 

“How do you know?” 

“Look at all of it. It’s just the stuff that’ll most likely weaken us. I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely see some things that’ll get us. We’ll need teamwork to get through all of it.” 

Lulana winced, her skin growing slightly paler. “Stuff that’ll weaken us? I don’t think anyone will be good at this…” 

Jayden shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry. We’ll get through it like we always do.” 

“Like you always do? How often do you do this stuff?” 

“It’s a once a month thing,” Jayden said with a shrug. 

Sure enough, the teacher called them to compete first. Lulana looked at their competitors. They looked strong and rather fit, four, in particular, staring at her with a fire in their eyes. I hope I don’t fail my team. Maybe my power will be of some use for once. 

The teacher put them with another group of four. Each of Lulana’s group members seemed to know the others, which made her feel a little better if anything. Warrene ran to embrace Mwo in a hug, and the purple-haired girl giggled. 

Puna grinned. “Hey, guys! Good thing we’re with you. Lulana, you’ve already heard about Mwo, but here’s Trixy, Alex, and Evek. Guys, this is Lulana.” 

Evek’s hair was wild, growing in all directions. It almost seemed to compliment her grinning face. Her hazel eyes shone not with happiness, but with satisfaction. Alex looked calm and well-kept as if holding back her excitement. Unlike Evek, her dark brown hair was perfectly combed and shining, and a pair of round glasses framed her eyes. Trixy hung backward, her hair dyed in four glowing colors of silver, green, red, and pink. Her face revealed nothing, though she wasn’t looking at Lulana. 

Lulana nodded and shook hands with Alex and Evek, but Trixy only hung back. 

“Oh, um, excuse me, you didn’t shake my hand,” said Lulana. Trixy didn’t reply, she turned back around. She went to stand by Jayden. I wonder if she isn’t comfortable with physical contact or something, thought Lulana.

As they entered, Lulana took into account what she was seeing. Nothing looks too bad… 

Warrene seemed to be calculating her features again. What does she think of me? 

There was a click and steam filled the room. A robotic voice began to speak: “Welcome, players. Let us begin the course.” 

Puna grabbed hands with the others. “Alright, team. We’re up against a few great competitors, so let's focus on teamwork.” 

Warrenne and Jayden nodded, Mwo giggled, and Lulana grinned. We’ll do just fine. They seem focused and hard-working. We’ll dominate the other team. 

Then, Lulana took a step backward, finally able to examine every angle of the course from ground level. Oh, gosh. We’re so dead. 

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

“Um… is any of this stuff legal?” Lulana asked timidly. The group hadn’t even been in the course for five minutes and Lulana had already begun to see how hard it would be to join the ranks of heroes and spies.

“I don't think it's illegal. But then again, here we are in a school that's built into a mountain that moves to wherever you need it to move to, so really, anything is possible.” Warrene said as she shrugged.

“That's… uh, comforting.” Lulana sighed. They had begun to creep forward, trying to avoid being caught by a group of robots that looked like they could do some serious damage. “So what do we do on normal days?” 

“Oh, nothing special. We’re always doing some kind of training. Usually, we’ll start out with some worksheet or lesson and then have some time to train and stuff.” 

Jayden shushed them from ahead. 

“Right. Sorry.” Lulana re-focused all of her attention towards the task at hand. She looked ahead; they were almost through the robots when the insults started coming.

“You can’t do this. You are too weak, too stupid, too brainless. There is no way that you will ever accomplish anything. Nobody loves you.” The robotic voices sounded harsher than anything Lulana had ever heard. She turned to start moving again but stopped when she heard sobbing. It was Mwo. 

“ I… I c-can’t do it... I-I’m wor-worthless…!” she choked out through sobs, falling to the floor. 

Jayden rolled her eyes, but Warrene ran over and crouched next to her, whispering to her. Mwo’s breathing started becoming more normal.

“What would I do without you, Warrene?” she said before kissing her girlfriend on the cheek.

“Well, you would mope and cry a lot more,” Warrene said, blushing and turning away. 

“Can you guys stop flirting and be quiet? You’re gonna give me a stomachache. It’s actually sickening how sweet you are,” Jayden sighed and shook her head. Lulana understood Jayden’s impatience. It was kind of distracting. 

Warrene kissed Mwo on the cheek and they stood up, holding hands.

“Fine. But, I’m not leaving her side for the rest of the simulation.” Warrene raised her chin. 

They continued, ignoring the robots, but came to a stop once again as Mwo was suddenly swept into the air, dangling from a pole by her feet. She squeaked in fear, swinging back and forth rather violently. Warrene reached to pull her down, but she was up too high. 

Mwo’s eyes were worried. “Um… can we find a way to get me down, please?” 

Puna attempted to climb the pole, but her efforts failed, and she slipped to the bottom. “Oh, this is impossible!” 

Warrene stood backward and examined the pole from afar. “Oh, dear. That looks… complicated. OK, does anybody have any ideas?” 

The others shook their heads and shrugged, confused. 

Puna tried once more but slid down again, her face red with frustration. 

“The probability of you failing is-” Alex began. Everyone ignored her soon to be negative comment. Puna shot her a disappointed look and stopped in her tracks at her third attempt, her arms already straining to prepare for it.

Warrene’s frustration showed through every part of her. “Come on… someone, please actually help! We need to either untie her or cut her free.” 

Mwo shook and swayed, running the rope through her fingers nervously. “Guys, it’s ok… I suppose you could just… leave me…” 

“No!” Warrene was the first to reply. “Come on, guys. We’ve got to get her down. There’s got to be a way!”

“That would not be a very smart decision. If we were to leave you, then we would be one person short, and our only chance of beating the other teams is to have all members accounted for.” Everyone groaned, ignoring Alex once again, turning their attention to Mwo as she dangled, her face turning pale. 

Puna shook her head. “We’ll have to think of something, but the longer we stall, the farther ahead the other team gets!” 

Alex nodded as if to prove her point, but everyone tried to ignore her, even if they knew she is right.

“Yes, please do hurry… The blood’s kinda running to my head, you know?” 

Lulana stepped forward. “Guys, this isn’t working. Maybe… well, does anyone have something sharp? We need to try to cut her down.” 

Jayden dropped to her knees. “Let me see if I can find a rock down here.” They began to search the area. 

“The probability of finding a rock on this type of terrain is…”

“ALEX!” Everyone shouted, and Alex backed away, holding a slight grin on her face.

“Nothing!” Puna stood up. “Nobody has anything?” 

Lulana rummaged through her pocket, pulling out a shard of glass. My old photo… She pulled out the photo, as well. There’s mom… Tears began to well in her eyes, but she blinked them away. Oh, mother… do you miss me? Are you still alive? Is Ami ok? 

Warrene grabbed the shard. “We’ll just have to try it.” She began to saw at the rope and bit by bit, it began to pull apart. “Got any more?” 

Lulana nodded absentmindedly. She pulled out some more, and the others grabbed one each. Mother… A memory hit her, a memory of her sister, trapped under a fallen light as Lulana screamed for help. 

There was a thud and Mwo hit the ground, head first, shaking Lulana from her memory. She got to her feet, dusting herself off. “Yowch… thanks for getting me down, guys.” There was still a rope attached to her ankle, but she didn’t mind. “Come on. We’ve gotta keep going.” 

As they ran on, Evek checked her watch. “Well, if it helps you, that only took us about 5 minutes, or so. Most likely a weakness that only applies to the other team, which is why none of us had too much trouble.” 

Lulana glanced at what was ahead. Water. Lots and lots of water. 

To her right, Jayden shuddered. “Oh, dear. I’m not looking forward to that.” 

As they reached the edge of the water, Warrene stopped anybody from jumping in. “Hold on… There might be sharks or something. No, wait… it looks mostly safe, but still...” 

Mwo shook her head. “I think it’s safe. I’m going in.” Warrene tried to talk her out of it but she had already jumped in, ready to prove herself. Everyone held their breath as they waited for her to reemerge. 

10 seconds… 11 seconds… 12 seconds… 

And then there she was, climbing out on the other bank. “Don’t worry!” she called. “It’s safe! No sharks!” 

Warrene growled. “Don’t you ever do that again! We couldn’t have known whether it was dangerous! You could have died!” 

“Yes, but now we know!” 

Warrene rolled her eyes. “Oh, fine.” 

Lulana breathed a sigh of relief, then jumped in after her. The water was cold but that didn’t bother her too much. If Mwo said it was safe, it must be safe. When she climbed out the other side, she noticed the only one left behind was Jayden. 

“Come on, Jayden!” Puna urged. “You can do it! There’s nothing to be afraid of; it’s just a little cold!” 

Jayden shivered. “I-I can’t! It’s too far, and I, like, can’t swim at all!” 

“Oh, please.” Alex sighed. “You’ll be fine! Just do it! Mwo convinced us it was safe from sharks and stuff, and the chances of you drowning are very slim.” 

Jayden shook her head. “You don’t understand. It’s okay, just go on! I’ll distract the other team while I’m here.” 

“Will people please stop asking to be left behind?” Puna stomped her foot in anger. “Nobody is getting left behind.” 

“Well, I’m not swimming over there.” 

“Jayden, please just this once?” 

“No. You just don’t understand! Go on ahead!” 

“There’s gotta be something we can do to bring you over… What if somebody else here swims with you?” 

She opened her mouth, then closed it before finally speaking. “Fine.” 

“Alright, then Alex, you can go over.” 

Lulana held her breath as Alex swam to the other bank, and let it out when they reached the bank. 

“Come on, Jayden. We’ll be quick.” 

As they swam over, Lulana peered over the edge of the water to see their darkened shapes make their way through the pool. Jayden seemed to be struggling. She’s so brave, deciding to do this. I hope she’s alright. 

When the pair climbed back out, they were wet all over and Jayden looked rather cold, though Lulana and her new friends began to cheer. “Come on, guys! Let’s go forward!” 

“Guys. I don’t feel very good.” Jayden said, faintly. She collapsed on the ground. Everyone rushed to her. When Lulana felt her skin it felt normal. 

“What’s wrong? I don’t understand. She feels fine.” Lulana asked, questionably. 

“She has heat powers. Usually, she feels like she has a fever. When she feels normal, it usually means something is wrong.” Puna answered, absentmindedly. 

“S-so, how are we gonna help her?” 

Puna shrugged. “She’s been swimming. Of course, she doesn’t feel good. We’ll just help her warm up, and she’ll be fine.” 

The group headed onward. 

I hope whatever’s up next is the last thing… I never did anything like this at my old school. Guess it’s good I got accepted, though. ‘Least I have some good friends, now. 

Lulana was the last to see the next obstacle, as she had been trailing in the back previously. Whatever it was, it was huge. It towered above them all with brown walls made of bricks, about the size of a greenhouse and yet still able to fit in the course. It stretched long enough to cover Lulana’s team’s part of the course so that they couldn’t go around, and too tall to climb up. A similar one covered the other team’s part, though Lulana saw that they hadn’t quite reached it yet. It was rectangular with sharp corners and moss growing between some of the bricks. 

A castle of some sort? 

Puna frowned. “Looks like we’re going to have to go in if we want to get to the other side.” 

The others nodded. Mwo shivered. “I don’t like the looks of it, much.” 

Warrene studied it. “Well, there’s certainly no hope of us climbing under or over, so we better go inside. Let’s just hope it’s not too dark in there.” The group started to walk towards the door, but before they could reach the door, a shape dropped down right in front of them. 

“Oh my gosh what the heck?!!” screamed Lulana. Everyone started to panic, but they quickly calmed down, all except Lulana. “Ahh! It’s a monster! Hey, wait for a second, why are you all so calm now?”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Trixy can climb and drop… I mean, Trixy does that a lot.” Puna grinned while drawing something that looked like tears with her fingers. 

“Oh.” Lulana blushed bright red, feeling confused and slightly stupid. “Well, anyways, let’s just go… inside the castle.” 

From the moment they walked inside and Evek shut the door behind them, they were enveloped in complete and utter darkness. Lulana reached out for somebody’s hand and took the first one she landed on. She could only hope it was a member of her team that she had touched. 

There was a sudden cry; not of pain or fear, but of shock. She tried to look around to see who had made the noise but she couldn’t see anybody. “Puna? Warrene? Was that either of you?” 

There was silence for another moment, then a sickening thump and a creak as a door opened. 

“Who fell?” It was Puna speaking, now. Her voice floated to everyone’s ears, clear and understood. 

When there was no reply, so Puna asked again. “Who fell? Please, if you fell, just say so!” 

“I-it was me… I think.” 

Mwo. Lulana sighed in relief. I’m glad she’s Ok. 

“Are you alright?” Warrene yelped.

“Yeah. I guess you could say that I’m falling for you!”

“Awwww.” Lulana could practically hear Warrene blush.

“Barf,” Jayden groaned. 

“Whoever’s near her, help her up, please!” Puna’s voice broke the conversation. 

Lulana felt around until she felt an arm sticking in the air. She helped Mwo to her feet. “Let’s try moving forward.” 

They weren’t moving very quickly; Lulana found herself bumping into whoever was in front of her over and over. There were no more sounds until another sudden scream, though it was considerably longer than the previous one. Lulana jumped backward. 

“Who was that?” She called out to anybody willing to answer. The voice was unrecognizable, and coming from a considerable distance. 

Another scream was all she received. Next to Lulana, somebody shivered. Feeling their long hair brush her shoulder, she realized it was Trixy. But she didn’t scream… So who did? 

There it was again. Something sticky and oozing crept along the floor. Lulana tried to walk but her shoes felt wet. She leaned down to touch what it was. It wasn’t water; that was for sure. 

The screams were louder and more frequent, now. It was almost annoying, seeing as whoever was screaming wasn’t dead enough to have their vocal cords cut off. “Is everyone alright?” She called. 

Another scream.

“Everyone check the walls for a switch or something!” Lulana heard Mwo yell.

She felt around and yet all that met her fingers was the smooth wall, stretching on and on as she walked. 

“I found it!” Jayden yelled.

The lights flickered and everyone seemed okay, for a moment. Warrene was huddled on the floor, her head in her hands; she had been the one screaming, after all. The wet substance was something sticky and red. Fruit punch? Scanning the building’s interior, she also saw Trixy on the floor. Oh, Lulana thought, is she harmed? No, she looks alright… Why was she shivering?

The building was one long passageway, just wide enough to fit the entire group. Even with the lights, it was still dimly lit with no windows or natural sunlight. The red substance slowly began to drain. Lulana sighed in relief. 

She looked at Trixy again. In her right hand, she was clutching a sharp dagger. There was a yell of shock, this time from Puna, her yellow eyes wide with surprise and worry. She stumbled backward and fell to the floor. Everyone crouched on the floor beside her, but when she came to, she started shouting words so fast Lulana couldn’t even understand them. 

“What? What’s wrong?!” Jayden screamed.

“Trixy… she killed someone! Didn’t you see it?! She killed one of our competitors… And… so did Mwo and Warrene. And then… they laughed about it, I tried to stop them! I did!” Puna was hysterical.

“W-what the heck are you talking about?!” Mwo felt Puna’s forehead. “Are you… are you hallucinating, or something?” 

“Don’t touch me!” Puna waved Mwo away. “Murderer! You killed somebody!” 

“No!” Lulana turned to her friends. “They didn’t, they couldn’t have. We would have seen it, right? I-It’s just the building! It must b-be part of a test, r-right?” Lulana tripped over her own words, panic filling her heart. "What is happening? I never knew the course would get this intense. Is this supposed to happen?" 

Puna burst into tears, something Lulana thought she’d never do. She’s usually so strong! Did Mwo, Warrene, and Trixy actually kill somebody? They wouldn’t… it has to just be the building tricking us, it has to be… 

Warrene kneeled down next to Puna. “Please, Puna. Be rational. You know we wouldn’t murder anybody. It’s just the building trying to trick you! You’ve got to listen to your friends!” 

“You’re not my f-friends! Y-you’re murderers! I can’t trust you!” Puna erupted in sobs. 

Aren’t the teachers watching this? Help us! I don’t think this should be happening! 

She wanted more than anything to help Puna but she didn’t know what to do.

“Puna, please, listen to me. Nobody killed anybody. You’ve got to understand!” The others began chattering non-stop, their words overlapping. 

And then something changed in her. It wasn’t adrenaline and it wasn’t excitement; it was more, and still less at the same time. Her movements weren’t hers anymore; they belonged to something else entirely. 

Instinctively, she grabbed Puna’s hand, then Warrene’s, then Mwo’s, until she had grabbed all of them between her two hands, sometimes holding nothing more than a finger. 

And then she jumped. 

Not just into the air, but forward as well. 

She was flying, she was soaring; she had burst through the roof of the building, somehow, and was now high up into the air of the course. When she glanced down, she could see it all from an angle up high. They were ahead of the other team, who were still trying to swim. One was waving their arms around, already at the end of the challenge. 

The end of the course was just in sight. She made a landing onto the platform at the end of it, panting. Then she saw it. A graceful and lean white tiger, with bright blue eyes like hers.

Her friends were looking at her strangely. She blushed, hoping it was mostly normal to do something like that. Maybe I pressed some sort of button that did that? But how does that explain the tiger? 

“Congratulations, Team 1!” Their teacher walked over, shaking their hands. “Team 2, you can come out!” 

The other team walked out of the course, looking defeated, wet, and rather angry. The leader gave Lulana a good snarl, her short brown hair damp from the water and her vicious green eyes glaring at Lulana. Despite the actions of the rest of his team, a boy in the back gave her a wink and smiled. She blushed and looked away. 

Did the teachers see what happened? Maybe they didn’t. Or maybe it was normal, after all. 

She looked for the tiger, but it had disappeared. Maybe it was never there. Maybe it was just in my head. When she looked at Puna, she was no longer crying, but she looked rather worried. 

“Thank you, Ms. Abertura. If you’ll excuse us, we’re going to go clean up.” 

As Lulana looked at her teammates, she realized they all looked worried. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked. 

“Come with us,” Puna murmured, leading her to the bathroom. 

What’s happening to me? And why are my friends so worried? Do they know what happened? I hope they can explain it. 

As they walked to the bathroom in silence, Lulana couldn’t help but feel that something was terribly wrong.


	2. Mwo

As the group headed for the closest bathroom, Mwo felt rather sick to her stomach. They had almost failed the course, and she had spent it being her usual clumsy self. Stupid Mwo, you always have to fail, don’t you. For a split second she thought she’d been struck on her cheek. Searing pain filled her, but it disappeared as soon as it had come. 

The bathroom was a bit too small to fit all 8 of them, so Mwo found herself slightly hidden behind a stall. 

Lulana seemed confused. “What’s wrong? Why do we need to talk? And why was I able to jump so high?” 

“That’s just what we wanted to talk about.” Puna’s tone was serious. “I would like to thank you all for… helping me, though. I’m sorry I thought you were murderers, Mwo, Warrene, Trixy… But I think the building had something to do with it. Now, it’s become apparent today that you, Lulana, have some sort of… super power.” 

“Wait, so that wasn’t just a part of the course?” 

“No, it wasn’t. But you’re not the only one with a power, which is why it’s sort of funny you were picked to be in our group. Call it destiny or fate, but we all have superpowers, as well.” 

Mwo peered over the edge of the stall. “Can we show her?” 

“Oh, why not? You seem… nice enough.” Warrene said with a small shrug. “To start off, I can see things really far away from wherever I stand. For example, I know that one of the teachers is walking towards the bathroom, and we should probably hide. No, wait, she turned away. She’s going into her office, now.” 

Lulana peeked out from the bathroom, her eyes widening in amazement as she saw that Warrene was correct. 

Puna stepped forward. “I have unusual strength, like so.” 

She ripped the sink from the wall, a smile on her face. “See? Oops… I probably shouldn’t have done that. Ah, well.” She set the broken sink on the floor. “My tears can also heal people, though I’m not really sure why.” 

Mwo giggled as her friends played around with their powers, entertaining the stunned Lulana. Evek broke a mirror using only her hair, Jayden set her own hand on fire, Trixy climbed up a wall, and Alex wrote that the sink repaired itself, which it did. I’m surprised we’re the only ones in the whole school with them. Puna and Alex agree that we should keep it a secret from the teachers, but I’m not so sure about that. What if it means something? 

“Mwo?” The others were staring right at them. As she was shaken from her thoughts, she noticed how beat up the bathroom looked, and she noticed how everyone, including her, was sweating, with the exception of Jayden, who was only panting slightly.

Let’s just hope we can clean this up. Ah, well. Time to show off my power, I guess. 

“Right.” She shuffled out of her stall and pushed the others aside until she was standing over a vent. Concentrating, she forced the breeze to come out until she was floating about two feet off of the floor and there was a blowing wind making its way through the room. She watched, pleased, as the others had to firmly brace themselves to keep standing. Her face curled in a gentle smile and her face blushed bright red. 

Mwo brought her hands back down to her sides and the wind stopped abruptly. “It, um… it can also be controlled by my emotions, if I’m feeling something really strong,” she added. 

Alex began to clap eagerly, the others soon joining in. Lulana was grinning widely, now. “That’s so cool! So, what do you guys do?” 

“What do you mean?” It felt good to be the one in the spotlight, even if it was just for a moment. 

“Well, like, most people with superpowers go out and fight crime. So what do you guys do? Do you, like, stop school bullies or something awesome like that?” There was a shine in Lulana’s eyes, something that made Mwo’s stomach turn slightly as she told her the truth. 

“N-no… not really. We haven’t really done much. At, least, not yet. Trixy apparently has done a few things, mostly just to scare us.” Mwo hoped she wasn’t letting anybody down with this. Do any of them think we do other things? “But, maybe when we get our first tasks, we can use them for the better.” Mwo looked up, only to see Lulana with her eyes shining once more. 

“How come you didn’t just use yours to get out of the course?” 

Mwo looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed. “We… we don’t really like using our powers in front of teachers. I guess they didn’t see you jump or thought it was normal, but we don’t want any extra questions. Besides: the tests are never usually as intense as today’s was.” 

Lulana then rounded to Puna. “You were about to introduce four other kids to me. Three are here. One was a boy. Who are they?”

Mwo knew what was coming. There was only one boy in her class that was worth mentioning. Don’t say it, Puna!

“Oh,” Puna gulped. “That boy is Pacific. The other girls at his table were Marigold, Merlyn, and Sibyl. The rest of the team… well, Sonia, Tristim, Dustin, and Cayden… they’re not too bad. Stay away from Sibyl and her gang, though.” 

Mwo shivered, remembering how often they’d teased her. It seemed every time she set foot in their territory they were on her like a pack of wolves, saying she was a ‘no good pity point whose only power is that of excessive sobbing.’ She loathed them with all of her heart. Especially Merlyn. Even thinking about their harsh words made a small lump in her throat and her hand clench. It would feel good to finally retaliate, but she knew that time wasn’t now. 

There was something about Sibyl especially that commanded respect. Marigold, Merlyn, and Pacific sucked up to her so very often. Not that she was any worse than Merlyn, who’d nearly forced Mwo to the edge once. The only thing that had saved her was Warrene, who’d arrived just in time to keep Mwo from falling to her very death. Wanting to stay positive, Mwo tried to think about other things. 

I wonder how long it will be before she forces somebody else to join the clique? I hope nobody from our group leaves… Though I suppose it wouldn’t be unlike them to offer money. 

Lulana was still asking questions. Mwo carried on for Puna. “Yeah, Pacific may seem nice, but as soon as you finish talking to him, he turns around and spreads nasty rumors about you. Sibyl thinks she’s the queen of everybody, Marigold… well, Marigold’s actually not too bad, she’s just easily manipulated. And then there’s Merlyn, who would kill you if it got you out of her way.” 

Warrene hesitated for a moment, her cheeks growing rosy. “R-right,” she finally hissed. “They’re full of themselves, if you couldn’t tell already.” 

“Hey, guys? I have something I want to tell you,” Lulana said suddenly. “I saw something at the end of the course. It was a white tiger, and it looked… blue and sparkly.”

The others looked at her, shocked into silence for the first time. Lulana blushed and turned away in embarrassment. Warrene moved her lips as if trying to make words, but no sound came out. Alex thought long and hard for a moment, gazing off. 

Finally, Mwo found the courage to speak. “Are you sure you saw it? Because… well, none of us saw anything.” 

Lulana shrugged. “It was probably just nothing.” 

Before the other girls could come to a conclusion, a series of images crossed Mwo’s mind. It started with the jaws of some predator snapping right in front of her, and she stumbled backwards, but the visions just kept coming. They were just flashes, barely glimpses, but they felt so very real to her. 

First, a hyena running into the sunset. Then, a white tiger roaring into the distance. A dragon flying up to touch to moon. A white wolf slinking into the snow covered forest. A spider climbing the wall. A pacific blackdragon covered in blood. A mink pacing the snow covered ground, with red splattered everywhere. A merlin with bloodstained talons, perching on a snow covered branch, and for some reason, Mwo had to suppress the urge to lash out at it. It seemed so… vulnerable… but before she could do anything, the visions went on. 

A bengal tiger with blood dripping from its mouth. A soaring eagle. A rabbit hopping along, limping ever so slightly. A maned wolf pouncing and landing on its prey. And then it all faded for a moment. 

The blood part was inevitable. It was to clear that soon, Mt. Sapphire Academy was going to face terrible danger that could end in a lot of people getting killed. Oh, my. This is… very terrible. 

“Mwo? Mwo?” Warrene was suddenly grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. 

“Hm? Oh, right. Uh… what happened?” Mwo asked.

“Lulana… she just said that… um…” Puna murmured. “She said that earlier when she first came into the building, Pacific tried to kiss her. And told her not to come to school on the last day.” 

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’s really weird…” But all Mwo could think about was her vision. What does it mean? Was it even real? Maybe I just drifted off… Maybe I just imagined it all. 

The others had continued the conversation. Mwo tried to listen in but the images just kept coming. At some point, the images started to change. The white wolf was eating the fish, and the rabbit was cornered by the merlin. As those visions faded, she saw the hyena’s muzzle was stained red with blood. Mwo couldn’t see the merlin when she saw the blood covered snowy branch, but she knew that it was the merlin’s blood on the hyena’s muzzle. And she enjoyed it. It made her happy. She laughed. A deep evil laugh.

“Um… Mwo?” Warenne looked worried. “Are, uh, are you OK?” 

“Better than ever.” 

“Well, if you say so… I still worry about you, sometimes.”

“You don’t need to worry about anything. I will always protect you.”

“Well that’s… that’s kind of creepy, but alright.” 

“It’s not creepy. I just really love you!”

“Yep. Kinda creepy. But still sweet.” She bent down slightly to kiss the top of Mwo’s head. “We should get back to class.” 

As they squeezed out of the bathroom one by one, Mwo just couldn’t stop thinking about the merlin. How good it had felt to see its blood… While Mwo was pondering her thoughts, something dropped from the ceiling and landed almost right on top of Mwo’s head. 

“OH MY GOSH!” Mwo stepped back from what had fell from the ceiling.

“Ugh. Why do you have to yell so much?” said Trixy. “I just got close to my class, and you almost wrecked my landing.”

Mwo was surprised. “Wrecked your landing? I was trying to get to my class just like you, and you just dropped down from the ceiling!” Trixy’s dyed hair looked like it was turning red. Am I hallucinating? Thought Mwo. Or is Trixy’s hair getting more red everytime I yell? 

Before Mwo could ask Trixy about her hair, Trixy turned away. That Trixy… why is she like this? It’s like she’s hiding something very important about herself… And why must she always push us away like that? Something’s most certainly up. Mwo stepped into her classroom, Trixy following closely. 

A spider climbing the wall. 

There it was again. It was just the single vision, and yet she knew that it was trying to tell her something. 

Something’s wrong, here. Something that has to be fixed. But what is it? The puzzle is incomplete… I need to find that missing piece… but how? Maybe I should just focus on doing class for now. Mwo walked towards the table her friends were sitting. 

“Hey, Mwo! We saved you a seat!” yelled Lulana. “Come sit with us!” 

Grinning, Mwo went over to their table. Most of the teams hadn’t returned, so they had the room almost to themselves. 

“I think the teacher said we could read or do something like that while we are waiting.” said Warrene. 

Mwo nodded and sat down right next to Warrene, the two gently touching hands as Warrene pulled out a book, opening to where her bookmark had saved her spot. Mwo glanced over to where Trixy was sitting.

The group had split into two tables, now; one with Warrene, Lulana, Puna, and Mwo, and the other with Evek, Alex, Jayden, and Trixy. 

Trixy said nothing to anyone except for Jayden. 

There was near silence for a moment until Evek broke it. “So, glad we could all get through the course, I guess. Is everyone feeling alright?” 

Alex had pulled out a piece of paper and was now hunched over it, holding a pencil in her hand. She was among those who said nothing, but she was still one of Mwo’s closest friends. Alex clearly liked to spend time with her, and of course that made her happy. 

I wonder what she’s writing... thought Mwo. 

“Mwo!” Her friends were all staring at her, now. 

“Oh, right, sorry. What were you saying?” 

Jayden sighed. “Mwo, why do you keep drifting off like this? Are you feeling alright?” 

Mwo shrugged. “I don’t know…” Should I tell them about my vision? Of course I should… there were eight non-bloody animals. What if they’re meant to represent us, and the others are meant to represent whoever we’ll be fighting? Lulana did mention a white tiger. 

“Well, try paying more attention next time.” Jayden’s words passed right through Mwo. She summoned her courage, and began to speak. 

“Guys, while we were in the bathroom something… strange happened. When Lulana mentioned that she had seen a white tiger I got a series of, well, visions.” 

Puna looked intrigued. “Really? Like what?” 

“Well, first there was a hyena, then a white tiger, then a dragon, then a white wolf, and then a spider. Then the images changed, and they became bloody. There was a pacific blackdragon, a mink, and a bengal tiger, and a merlin. And then it was back to normal, and the blood had faded. There was an eagle, a rabbit, and a maned wolf. And then it was all gone, just like that.” 

Mwo shifted on her feet, hoping she didn’t sound crazy. “I was thinking some of them might be us, as there were eight non-violent ones, and the ones that were covered in blood would be the ones we have to fight… or something.” 

There was a moment of silence where nobody spoke. Oh, wow… they must really think I’m crazy. But the one to speak after what she said was the least person she expected.

“Well, those animals sound like they could potentially be all of our spirit animals. I mean, they do seem to fit our personalities.” said Trixy. Everyone looked up at her for a moment, blinking in almost surprise. 

“Wow, Trixy. How did you-” Trixy cut her off, slamming her hand over Mwo’s mouth, not making eye contact. 

“Just don’t ask, alright? It’s something I really don’t want to talk about.” said Trixy, glaring at Mwo. Mwo looked towards Jayden. 

Jayen locked eyes with her, her eyes practically screaming ‘Don’t ask her or we’ll have problems.” 

“Um. Alright? I won’t ask.” Mwo shifted away from Trixy. Jayden sighed and looked away. 

“Alright kids, take your seats!” The teacher entered the room with the other teams trailing behind her. 

Mwo dropped one more question. “So, a spirit animal is…” 

“An animal that kind of represents you in spirit.” Trixy still didn’t make eye contact with Mwo as she spoke, her dark eyes only looking at the floor and her voice flat. 

“After judging your scores on the first test, I’ve decided what you need to focus your efforts on the most is how to survive during a fight with a strong opponent!” The teacher had started to talk again. 

“Wait… didn’t we spend like, all of last semester learning this?” said Mwo to Warrene.

“Yeah. I have all the notes.” said Warrene, pulling out a few pieces of paper with neat handwriting on it. “But, whatever. Can’t hurt to learn a little more, can it?” 

Mwo shrugged. Whatever the teacher was about them couldn’t be nearly as important as her vision… Right? 

“Now, you all did very well on your first assessment, but there are a few things we need to review. I know we did do a lot of opponent lessons last year, but it was all mostly theory. These next few weeks, we’re actually going to be battling each other!” 

Oh no. Mwo felt sick. What if I’m paired with Merlyn? What if she kills me, or somebody else in my friend group? What if I ‘accidentally’ kill her? What if this is what all of the blood meant? She inhaled, calming herself. No; that can’t be it. The teachers wouldn’t let us kill each other, so if something bad is going to happen, the most it’ll be is one of us gets hurt. Besides, it can’t be something like that. It’s not nearly climactic enough. 

And then she caught a flash of the merlin again, this time helpless under her claws, barely breathing. She wanted with every bit of her to tear it apart, to listen to it scream - and once again, the urge faded with the vision. 

It’s strange how this particular vision seems to keep coming back, over and over. What’s wrong with me? I’ve never been much of the killing type… Trixy said they were our ‘spirit animals…’ Perhaps I’ll get the group to meet up and we can decide what to do. 

“Now, to finish up today, I’d like you to write a reflection of your time on the course, then assess your current skills on how well you think you’d be able to fight an opponent. We’ve got another good thirty minutes or so, so get to writing!” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Mwo slipped notes into her friend’s lockers, encouraging them to meet her by the gym. It would be empty, but it would be big enough for their activities. She had asked the principal for a permission note and had readied several excuses in case anybody walked in on what the group was doing. 

As her friends entered one by one, she made sure to lock the door behind them. They seemed mostly confused and Mwo could see why. As she got them to quiet down, she began her speech. 

“OK, everyone. We have some… work to do. If what Trixy said was right and the animals I saw in my vision were our spirit animals, we have to find some way to summon them. I usually wouldn’t say that, but if Lulana’s managed to see hers, we all must be able to see ours. Perhaps they are supposed to be apart of our powers, or maybe they’re just an extra helping hand. Either way, we’ll need to see what they can do.” 

Lulana shook with excitement. “See! I’m not crazy!” 

Jayden moved slightly closer to Trixy so that it was just barely noticeable. “Well, how are we supposed to summon them or whatever? There’s got to be some way we can do it.” 

Mwo turned to Lulana. “What happened before you saw yours? Anything in particular?” 

Lulana hesitated. “I want to say it’s because I used my power, but I guess that’s not really it. Maybe it was because I was feeling overwhelming joy, maybe? Or perhaps it was because I felt the urge to protect you guys. Something like that. Sorry.” 

“Well, I suppose we can work off of that.” Mwo had expected more background and was rather disappointed, now. Ah, well. We can work with what we have. 

“Alright, everyone. Perhaps you need to be using your powers to protect somebody?” 

Trixy replied first, her voice soft. “Haven’t we done that before? I know I’ve used my powers to protect somebody at least once, even if I didn’t show it off to everybody who has eyes.” 

Lulana blushed just slightly. 

Mwo hoped she wouldn’t have to be directly in the spotlight for too much longer. She didn’t always enjoy giving lengthy speeches. “Well, let’s just toy around with our powers a bit. Then we’ll see what happens.” 

As her friends began to make the gym come alive with noise and color, Mwo stepped to the back of the room, ready to start with her power. Suddenly, she began to have another quick but weird vision. It was those 8 animals, except the spider was attacking them. When it faded, Mwo looked towards Trixy. She was in the corner, and her pink, green, and silver hair seemed to be slowly turning to red.

She must be the spider. I always see a spider vision whenever I’m too close to her. But, why was the spider attacking the other animals? 

Mwo didn’t have much time to think, for near her somebody screamed “I did it!” 

“Huh? Who was that?” 

It was Puna, and standing in front of her was a large dragon with its wings spread. It nearly filled up the room. Puna’s eyes shone with excitement. When she closed them, the dragon disappeared. 

“Wow! Puna, your spirit animal must be a dragon!” Warrene seemed nearly as excited as Puna. “I wonder what mine will be. How did you do it?” 

“I just thought of protecting all of you, then I guess I sort of… harnessed my power? I don’t know, it was kind of strange.” 

Evek stepped forward. “I’ll try!” She closed her eyes and focused, and after a minute or so a maned wolf was standing in front of her, shaking its coat. 

So we know who the dragon is, and who the maned wolf is. But what about the others? And what am I? 

Alex went next, revealing her spirit animal to be an eagle. Then went Jayden, who had a white wolf. Warrene summoned an orange and silver rabbit (“Creme d’Argent,” she explained.) Lulana found herself next to a white tiger once more, and, just as Mwo had guessed, Trixy’s turned out to be a spider. 

Mwo felt nervous when she realized that it was her turn to try. She took in a deep breath, then exhaled, imagining that she was protecting her friends from a looming shadow. It’s the merlin. The merlin wants to kill us. Something tingly filled her entire body from head to toe, and when she opened her eyes, standing in front of her was a spotted hyena, its tongue lolling. 

Warrene ran forward and hugged her. “You did it! We all did it!” 

Lulana swelled with pride. “So then, Trixy was right. The animals of your vision are our spirit animals. But then the bloody parts of your vision… Trixy, you said those animals belonged to Sibyl, Merlyn, Marigold, and Pacific. How could we find out if that’s true?” 

Everyone looked at Trixy, who was hunched in the corner with her hands over her ears. Her hair had turned completely red. 

Mwo walked over to her. “Trixy? You alright?” Trixy didn’t say anything, she instead, picked up a knife. “T-Trixy?” Mwo was shaking all over. All of a sudden, the vision with the spider attacking the animals came back. No… No no no no no…. This can’t be happening. Not now! 

But it was too late. Trixy had been changed. She was no longer herself.


	3. Trixy

Trixy jumped and did a backflip, landing on the wall, poised to strike again. She started running. She threw knives everywhere towards the crowd around her. They were screaming in fear but she didn’t stop; she didn’t care anymore. It didn’t matter how much they cried or screamed for help, she wanted them dead. Her thoughts were scattered as if they didn’t belong to her, but they all spoke one word together: They all told her to kill. 

Jumping down so she was standing right in front of Puna, who was frozen to the spot, she raised one knife and prepared to drive it into Puna’s heart. 

Kill. Kill. 

“Trixy! Stop, please!” It was Mwo. She had fallen to her knees about three feet away as if she was begging Trixy, tears flowing down her face as she held a gash on her arm closed. “Please…” Wheezing once, Mwo fell to the floor, her eyes desperate and almost accepting of the fate Trixy was to bring her. Her purple cornrow braids draped around her face. She looked almost pitiful. 

Trixy’s thoughts stilled themselves. She dropped the knife so that it fell to the ground with a clatter. 

When she looked down, there was blood at her feet. Oh, no. What have I done? Has anybody been killed? 

She took a quick look around the gym. No, nobody seemed to be dead, though several had been hurt.

Lulana was hunched in a corner with her hands over her head, a large gash on her arm. Puna was in shock; the dagger hadn’t hit her, though, which was good. Mwo and Jayden seemed mostly unharmed, as Trixy hadn’t really been aiming for them, though Mwo looked like she might pass out. Warrene had run to her girlfriend’s side, her silver eyes filled with determination as she looked right at Trixy, prepared to fight. Alex was crouching on the ground, seemingly alright. Evek was the most hurt of them. 

She was lying on the ground, her hands clutched to her stomach where blood was stained all over her shirt. She was breathing, but barely. Somebody needs to help her, now! 

I’m out of control. This isn’t the first time I’ve nearly killed my friends! 

There was no noise other than gentle sobbing, coming from somewhere Trixy couldn’t quite pinpoint. 

When she looked down, there was a rather large spider at her feet. My spirit animal came back. I was right, though. The animals in our visions were ours. Marigold, Sibyl, Merlin, and Pacific are going to have a run for their money. 

The crying grew softer until it was barely there at all. Then there was no noise; everything was still. Nobody dared to move. The spider at Trixy’s feet began to crumble and fade. The red in her hair drained back to pink, green, and silver. She was in control, again. 

Trixy didn’t like the show her emotions to others, just to show she was tough. But now, inside of her, deep hate at herself was boiling throughout her body.

There was silence. Lulana looked upwards, showing her crimson red face and wide eyes. She wasn’t crying. Mwo looked worried. Puna was just standing there, still frozen to the spot. Jayden didn’t have a reaction, since Trixy had told her all about her… condition. An alien expression clouded her features. Trixy didn’t want to have to face them, so she ran out the door. 

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Trixy sped through the hallways. She heard someone say, “No running in the halls!” but what she was doing was a whole lot more important than the school’s rules. They’ll never forgive me. They’re going to find me, soon… 

She ran to an empty hallway, which turned out to be a dead end.

“Oh no.” Trixy heard four people coming up behind her. Trixy put on her serious face and turned around. “Alright, what do you four want from me?” said Trixy to those people.

“Oh… um… I actually really don’t know.” said Marigold. Pacific facepalmed, Merlyn snarled, and Sibyl elbowed her in the ribs. “Ow! What was that for?!”

“Marigold, that wasn’t how it was supposed to go!” said Sibyl. Before Marigold could answer, Sibyl turned to where Trixy was. “Anyways, what we want from you, Trixy, is that little thing you wear in your hair.” 

Trixy touched it. How do they know? I mean, it makes my powers slightly stronger and gives me some spider-like traits but it’s nothing that they’d want… Right? What powers do they even have? Trixy then said, “I won’t give it to you! It’s, uh... important to me! Why do you even want it, anyways?!”

Sibyl chuckled. “Well, let’s just say, it can do more than you think it can. Here. Take this, and turn to page 187 and read to 188. That’s the explanation.” Sibyl threw a book at Trixy. Trixy easily caught it, but pretended to flinch anyways, hoping it would make her seem weak. 

Trixy turned to page 187 and started to read. 

“The Starfall Stone (left) is known to give the owner extraordinary strengths relating to their ‘Spirit animal.’ (see page 10 for more details.) Its current location is unknown, though it has been passed through several people. It’s allegiance will change to whoever holds it. While the Starfall Stone is currently missing, it has several sister stones known to exist, but the Starfall is the most powerful out of all of them. (See page 190.) Other powers are currently unknown.” 

Trixy noticed something written in very small handwriting in the corner, and could tell that Marigold, Merlyn, Sibyl, and Pacific hadn’t noticed. It wasn’t typed, meaning whoever had last owned the book had written it in.

It said, If someone with an evil heart touches it, the Starfall will create a powerful force that will destroy everything nearby. Perhaps it could destroy the world. (Don’t test that theory.) If taken by force by someone who already has it, the original user will be the one corrupted by the dark heart of the person who took it. Basically, if someone takes it off, the person who was wearing it will go evil, no matter what. (Don’t ask how I know this.)’ 

Trixy looked up at the quartet, trying to remain calm. I should have been a good child an stayed in bed that night. The Starfall’s gentle glow had seen so… enticing. Why hadn’t Trixy learned not to take home strange glowing objects? If only she could go back to those days, when she’d lived a carefree life without magic or powers. “What? You really think my hairclip is the Starfall Stone? That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard!” 

Marigold looked confused while Sibyl, Merlyn and Pacific snarled. “Oh, really?” Sibyl stepped forward as she spoke. “Prove it!” 

“Well, for one, plenty of people have looked at my hairclip. If it were the stone, they would have said so, right? And I’m not dumb enough to just flaunt it about. Though it is possible it was modeled after the Starfall Stone, my clip is a hairclip, not a stone.” 

“Well, look at the picture in the book. Look familiar?” said Sibyl. Trixy looked. The picture looked exactly like her hair clip. Front and back. 

She did a nervous shrug. “Like I said. My clip was mostly modeled after the Starfall Stone. I wouldn’t be surprised if so. Besides; I bought this at a normal store.” Trixy stomped out her guilt of lying about her stone, since many people had reported about the crater in the forest where Trixy had found the stone. But in front of these people, she wasn’t going to say anything.

“Really? I think you’re lying and just trying to get us to leave. Well, news flash: It’s not going to work. I know for sure that your ‘hair clip’ is the Starfall Stone.” said Sibyl, taking a couple more steps towards Trixy.

Merlyn giggled maliciously. “Let’s get it done now, Sibyl. The longer we wait, the less time we’ll have to finish the plan!” 

“Patience, Merlyn. We’ll get it done.” 

Trixy then heard something. The voice of her other friends calling out to her. “Trixy? Trixy, where are you?!!”

They’re going to find me! They’re going to see Marigold, Sibyl, and Pacific, and they’re going to chase them away. 

Trixy puffed out her chest. “If I were you, I’d run. They might find you, soon.” 

“What? Is it because of your whittle fwiends? Ha! We got that covered.” Merlyn finished her speech with another laugh. Pacific motioned to Sibyl, who raised a wall of dirt before Trixy’s eyes. 

She backed up. “What? Oh, no. The teachers aren’t going to be happy about that, you know.” 

“See if we care. We’re on a tight schedule here, Trixy. We’ve been planning this day for a year. Just hand it over, and we can continue our path of destruction.” Trixy touched the wall, pushing on it a little bit. It was firmly stuck there, and it would talk about an hour to destroy. She certainly didn’t have time for that. 

“Path of destruction? Well, I wouldn’t say that building a wall of dirt is destruction, you know.” said Trixy. If I can’t get out, I’ll just troll them. Besides; it’s going to be hard for them to get out, themselves. I just have to stall a little longer. 

“Uh- that’s not what we ment!!” yelled Sibyl. After Sibyl had yelled, a thought drifted by in her head that said to completely rip everyone around her to shreds.

Oh no. I can’t do that or else they’re going to yell. Stupid weird condition. I hate you!

Her friends were coming closer. “Trixy? Trixy!? We’re not mad at you, anymore! Jayden explained it all!” 

Lulana’s voice was closest of all. “Hey! Why is there a giant wall of dirt, here? I don’t remember this being here.” 

“For some reason, I feel like if we don’t break this wall down, something bad is going to happen.” said Mwo. “Ack. These visions sure don’t let up.” 

Yes! Trixy wanted to call out to them, but she decided against it. Sibyl might try murdering me, if I do. Marigold, Sibyl, and Pacific started to advance on her, causing Trixy to back up against the wall opposite the dirt wall. “Woah woah woah! What are you doing?!

“Quick, Marigold.” Sibyl hissed. “Do it now.” 

Marigold nodded and reached one hand out towards Trixy, who flattened herself as much as she could. “Don’t move. This will only take a second.” 

Pacific seemed impatient. “Be careful. Make sure you don’t touch the stone. A golden Starfall will be of no help.” 

“A golden Starfall? What kind of powers do you guys even have!?” 

Marigold’s fingers were just in front of Trixy’s face. She wanted to try escaping, but she had left her knives in the gym, and there were barely any sturdy walls to climb. Then, out of nowhere, light flooded out from above her, blinding Marigold for a split second, causing her to jump back. It flooded the hall as the walls began to break. 

“What? What is this? I have a bad feeling something’s about to explode here!” said Marigold, surprised.

“Just grab it, and we’ll get out of here!” said Sibyl. Trixy’s hair clip kept on glowing as the walls crumbled, and when Marigold almost got it in her fingers, a laser shot all four of them through the dirt wall.

Trixy peered down at their unconscious bodies. For a moment, she was afraid they were dead, until Sibyl stirred, and in one swift motion, the dirt rose from the ground, breaking through the ceiling, taking Merlyn, Marigold, and Pacific with it. 

Trixy wondered what their plan was when she felt her stomach to a flip. They’ve been planning it like this for a reason. There was a teacher meeting today! 

“Trixy!” 

Jayden ran towards her, embracing her in a great bear hug. Her other friends swarmed around her, as well, but she pushed them away. “We’ve got no time to waste. Come on.” 

They ran towards the lounge, but Sibyl, Marigold, and Pacific had already disappeared. All that was left was a fish tank full of fish and a few golden statues. 

Our teachers. Trixy’s stomach lurched. They do have powers! Oh no… They must be trying to take over our school! 

“What happened?” When Trixy examined her friends, she realized that Evek, who had just spoken was being supported by a couple of them. “They’ve been turned into gold and fish?” Her voice was raspy and weak. 

Trixy sighed. “Wow, this day has been intense. Sibyl, Pacific, Merlyn, and Marigold cornered me and asked me for… for my hair clip. I’ll tell you why, later. When they couldn’t get it, they ran over here and turned the teachers into… fish and whatever. They’re trying to take over the school.” 

“It doesn’t take a genius to know that,” Alex muttered. “We’ve all seen them demanding better grades and more power and such. And now, well, I think we can all agree they’ve gone just a bit too far.” 

“So then, what do we do?” Lulana’s voice was nervous. “Where are they, now?” 

“Probably gone. Until they get all that they need, they’ll hide somewhere. I can’t believe they’d do that, though.” She looked down. “I’m sorry for what I did earlier. I didn’t mean to cause anybody harm.” 

“It’s okay.” Mwo shrugged. “Jayden explained it all. Why didn’t you tell us about that, before? We’ve known you for some time, now.” 

“Guess I just never really wanted to tell anybody about it. Well, other than Jayden. We’ve just… always been close.” 

“So… why did they want your clip?” 

“Because…” She considered lying, but then decided against it. “Well, it apparently does some… stuff. Basically, it makes the owner’s powers stronger, if they have any.” 

“Wow!” Puna’s eyes were shining again. “No wonder they wanted it!” 

Lulana nodded thoughtfully. She seemed almost sad. “Yes, yes, it’s cool. But we’ll have to find a better way to protect it. In fact, we’ll have to heal the teachers, somehow. If it’s true that they want to take over the school, we need to protect our school with everything we’ve got.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

The teachers had been taking to the infirmary, and with the help of Puna’s dragon tears as the eight had snuck into the infirmary in the middle of the night, most had been revived and still kept in the dark about the powers the group contained. Several were still recovering, while most were back to teaching. 

Ms. Abertura just couldn’t remind them enough about how the first tasks would be handed out, soon. “And remember: Some of you may be asked to fight your former classmates. If you are given that task, just remember what they did.” 

Trixy couldn’t stop thinking about all they had done. It was enough for her to hope she was tasked with getting rid of them. 

Trixy had managed to uncover the book Sibyl had given her underneath the mounds of dirt and had gone over it with the rest of her group. Other than info about the Starfall Stone, it gave lots of helpful words about how they could handle their powers. 

Task day couldn’t come soon enough for anybody. 

As they walked down the corridors, Trixy found herself walking next to Warrene. “Hey, Trixy. Um… Lulana’s spirit animal was a tiger, right?” 

Trixy nodded. “A white tiger.” 

“So, do you have any ideas on what that might mean? Like, what do all the our spirit animals mean?” Warrene looked concerned for some reason. She kept watch behind the two as if worried somebody would overhear, her silver eyes narrowed. 

“Well, they mean different things. They’re supposed to match our personalities, so you know, the animals kinda show what we are like in spirit, though we may not show it on the outside.” Trixy pulled slightly at her collar and shifted uncomfortably on her feet. “Is that… helpful at all?” 

But Warrene only looked more concerned. “Trixy… I think I might have seen her, once before. Or at least her tiger. You see, I saw this tiger with a silver outline, once-” 

Jayden came speeding around the corner, breaking the two apart. “Hey, Trixy. What’s up?” 

“Oh! Uh, hi, Jayden. Um… nothing?” 

“Hm. Well, we better get to class.” 

“Right.” Warrene tilted her chin upwards, seeming upset about Jayden intruding on their conversation but saying no more. 

The room was so close that Trixy could already hear the teacher’s voice. She was glad that Jayden had stopped her from having to talk to Warrene alone, though she was intrigued with what Warrene had to say. I’m going to have to ask Warrene about that later, she thought to herself. 

Trixy couldn’t focus all through her first class. What did Warrene want to tell me? Where are Sibyl, Merlyn, Marigold, and Pacific, now? What are they planning? Why does Lulana get all tense whenever we talk of them? Why does this all have to be so complicated? Ugh! 

As she walked to her next class, she tried her best to avoid Warrene as much as she could. She wasn’t quite ready to face whatever Warrene had to say. 

When she arrived at her next class, the students were all speaking in hushed whispers. From what she could hear, they were talking about Sibyl, Merlyn, Marigold, and Pacific leaving. Some even seemed to want to join the four in their quest to destroy Mt. Sapphire Academy. A pang of anger and heartbreak hit as she heard what they said. 

Why would they want to do something like that? What do they have to gain? 

As she sat down, the Starfall Stone began to glow. Trying to hide it as much as she could, she walked down the hallway and into the bathroom. Crouching under the sink Puna had broken before, she cupped it in her hands and watched as the shine grow bigger and bigger with every second. 

As she looked closer, she realized it was flashing different colors, as if trying to send a message. It was calling out for someone… or something. Trixy’s parents had taught her how to read light messages and morse code. 

The sister stones that the book mentioned? I wonder where they are hidden… Perhaps it knows. But… if Sibyl knew about the Starfall Stone, she must have read about the others. What if she’s after them? 

When she looked back down at the stone, it had stopped glowing. Why else would it be glowing? One of its sisters must be in danger… I’ll have to tell the others. We’ve got to stop Sibyl before she destroys our school. 

She heard the bell for the school to start right as she was outside the door, so she sped inside and rushed to her seat. She started planning in her mind how she was going to tell her friends that she had a small plan forming in her mind. Then she noticed Lulana’s necklace as if looking through new eyes. It looked an awful lot like the Moonfall Stone she had seen in her book. 

That’s… strange. Maybe that’s the real reason my stone was calling out. 

As she looked around some more, she noticed Jayden’s belt, in which the buckle greatly resembled the Firefall Stone.

So all this time, we’ve had most of the stones? I bet they’re like I was: They most likely don’t know what it can do. In fact, they might not even know it’s anything more than just an accessory. I’ll make sure to tell them. Sibyl, Merlyn, Marigold, and Pacific stand no chance, now. We’ve got powers, stones, and spirit animals. What have they got? 

She glanced over her shoulder to see the glittering armband that Puna was in possession of. The band resembled a dragon curling around her arm, and the dragon held a brilliant golden stone in it’s brass talons. The Everfall Stone, glinting like a dragon’s eye in the sunlight. Then she looked at Alex’s ring. It looked dull in the artificial light of the gym, like an empty abyss, but Trixy was sure that if the ring were in true sunlight, it would shine with blinding light. It was the Inkfall stone, and with the silver band, it looked like a bead of ink resting on a crisp piece of paper. And last of all was the Tigereyefall Stone, 

We’re going to stop them. I just have to tell the others about the stones they have. But, we don’t have all of them. Where are the others? After school was over, Trixy asked her friends to come to the gym. 

When they got there, there were very confused. After everyone was there, Trixy shut and locked the door so no one could disturb them. 

“What are we doing here, Trixy?” asked Lulana.

“I think you all know about my Starfall Stone, now. Today, it started to flash, and I realized it was calling out. Calling out… to the sister stones. As I looked around, I realized that some of you actually have the sister stones.” 

Trixy began to pace around the confused girls. “Lulana, your pendant is the Moonfall stone. Jayden, your belt buckle is the Firefall stone. Puna, your armband is the Everfall stone. Alex, your ring is clearly the Inkfall stone. Which leaves just Warrene and Mwo.” 

Puna was now studying her armband. “Are you sure? I’ve had this since I was a kid… I found it in a cave and I’ve been wearing it ever since. My dad told me not to keep it on because it would give others a message that we’re rich and powerful.” 

“Yes, I am positive. If you compare these stones to the drawings and pictures in the book, then they look almost identical.” She looked around meaningfully at her friends. “You know, I don’t think this gym has been fixed, completely.” The ceiling looked rather damaged. “We should probably stop breaking things.” 

The others looked at their accessories like they were uncovered treasures. They were in awe, though Jayden looked rather uncomfortable.

“I don’t know… It’s like Puna said: These were given to us. My father found this in a volcano, and assigned it to me in his will.” Jayden said, skeptical.

“Exactly! The Firefall stone was rumored to be in a dormant volcano, though nobody had bothered to look. Now it belongs to you!” 

Jayden frowned. “Please, Trixy. These aren’t the stones; they can’t be!” 

“Well, it’s either that or Sibyl has them. And what else would my stone be calling out to?”

“Trixy… My mom gave this to me before I left. She said that it would protect me from all harm! There's no way that my mom had the Moonfall Stone!” Lulana shouted. “Somebody would have known, right?” 

“Hey! Hold up just a second, why don’t we have stones?” Mwo pointed to her chest.

“Yeah, that's not really fair. Don’t you think that we should all get one?” Warrene stared at Trixy.

“I- I… I don’t- I think-... I’m sure that you’ll get your stones soon!” Puna’s expression was a mixture of hope and guilt. “If these are the stones…” 

“Maybe, if this entire thing is true, then your stones just aren’t ready to be used.” suggested Jayden. She still didn’t look sure about the stones on their accessories being the same as the ones from the book. Light came from above Trixy’s head again.

“Ah, Trixy? Your hairclip is glowing.” said Puna. Trixy quickly took it off and watched the lights. The sequence kept repeating. “I feel like it’s trying to tell us something. I’ve heard of morse code but, I’ve never learned it.”

Trixy stared at it for a moment. Then said, “Killing in cold blood will get the other two their stones.”

“WHAT?! TRIXY!! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!!” yelled Mwo.

“I didn’t say that! The stone said that! I learned the Morse code from my parents, okay?!” shouted Trixy.

“Oh okay. But, what does, ‘Killing in cold bold will get the other two their magic stones’ have to do with anything? How will it help us?”

“It’s just stones. Not magic stones.”

“WELL I’M SORRY! But still. I would like to know why.”

“Well, do you know what cold blood means when you kill someone?” Everyone shook their heads. “Killing someone in cold blood means killing with no remorse.” And just like Trixy had expected, panic ensued. Everyone was yelling and running around. Trixy started to back away.

While Jayden was running around, she noticed Trixy’s hair turning more and more red. Jayden then started trying to calm everyone down. She kept on looking towards Trixy, seeing her hair getting more and more red. Jayden started to become desperate, but it was too late.

It had happened to them again. Trixy’s thoughts became scrambled, telling her only the same words over and over. As the others continued to scream, the voices in her head screamed louder with them. Overwhelmed, she could think of only one thing to do, and that was to listen to those voices.


	4. Puna

Panic. Panic, panic, and more panic. Why does this keep happening? 

A scream rang out, followed by, “Trixy!” Mwo’s eyes were wide as she slumped to the floor, a sharp knife suddenly lodged in her left arm. “W-what’s wrong with you?” Tears fell down her cheeks and blood oozed from the cut but she didn’t seem to notice. 

“Didn’t I tell you about this already?” yelled Jayden from across the room. “She does this when there’s too much noise. We started screaming when she mentioned cold blood, remember?” 

“Well, what were we supposed to do?” Evek cried. “We’re skittish creatures!” 

Puna stalked Trixy from behind, prepared to strike. She leaped at Trixy, trying to cling to her back, but something prevented her from doing so and she was blown backward. Trixy noticed and she threw a knife at Puna. Puna quickly picked up some rocks from the rubble and blocked the knife.

When Puna put the rubble down, Trixy was gone. The others had stopped running. Mwo had collapsed on the floor. Puna looked around, and then something fell on her back. “Get off me!” Puna started flailing, but it seemed that what had fallen on her back wouldn’t come off.

“Hold still, Puna! The more you move, the more painful this will be!” shouted Trixy. Her voice was shrill and cold, and her words sent shivers down Puna’s spine. Puna then heard something whizzing through the air. She heard a loud thump, and Trixy fell off of her back. Next to her was a large rock. 

“Are you okay Puna?” asked Lulana, appearing suddenly at Puna’s side. “I threw the rock, but… uh... I’m afraid I hurt Trixy.” Puna looked down to where Trixy was and saw that Jayden was there, shaking her furiously.

“Trixy! Wake up! You have to wake up!!” shouted Jayden. Trixy didn’t respond. “Trixy!! Trixy!? WAKE UP!!” yelled Jayden once again. “Trixy?” Puna looked at Jayden ’s face and saw that tears were sliding down it.

Jayden turned on Lulana. “YOU KILLED HER!” 

Pain was smeared all over her face, and everyone seemed to turn silent, as if the space had suddenly been covered in shadow. Jayden clenched her fists and took a step forward, shaking the ground as if all her anger was coming out in large tremors.

Lulana stepped backwards. “I’m sorry! I was only trying to save Puna! I didn’t mean to hit her!” 

Jayden was shaking all over. “GO AWAY, LULANA! NOBODY ASKED FOR YOU TO COME! YOU’RE JUST MAKING THINGS WORSE!” 

Lulana didn’t budge, shaking in fear. “I-I want to help. Please.”

Lulana’s pride and courage was countering Jayden’s anger as the room grew silent again. You could hear Jayden steaming, her heartbeat growing deep and loud. She was red all over, and her skin was bumpy like a dragon’s. You could feel the heat radiating off of her like it usually did when she got over the top mad.

Jayden picked up the rock and threw it at Lulana. It just barely missed her. Then, when Lulana was cowering in fear, Jayden came and punched her in the gut. Lulana toppled over the weight of the fall stunning everyone in the room. She whimpered, clutching her stomach. Puna wanted to help, but she knew this wasn’t her fight. She had learned that from her parents. This wasn’t the time to jump in. The others gasped as Jayden grabbed Trixy’s body and hauled her away. 

Seeing as there were enough people to handle Lulana and Mwo, Puna followed Jayden and Trixy, instead. 

Jayden was dragging Trixy through the halls and over to where the nurse’s office was located. There’s no way Trixy’s really dead. She’s so tough! She can’t be dead… 

“Trixy, please wake up!” Tears were falling in streaks down Jayden’s face, and Puna realized that she was, in fact, crying herself. Trying her best to stay hidden and silent, she crept a little closer. Jayden had rummaged through the closets, searching for supplies and anything that could help her friend. 

“What could work? Dimantap? No that’s cold medicine. Emetic? No that will just make her throw up everywhere. Advil? Possibly, but maybe not. That stupid Lulana… if it wasn’t for her, Trixy would be awake or alive. If only she knew what she was doing…” Jayden kept rambling to herself as she cast numerous bottles of medicine aside. 

Puna wanted to help but she wasn’t sure what she could do. Emerging from her hiding spot, she stepped into the infirmary. It smelled of medicine and cleaning supplies but that wasn’t her main concern. Would she use her tears? Was it worth the strain?

Every thought imaginable ran through her head as she let the smells of both healing and sickness run through her nostrils. It was worth a try. 

“Puna?” 

She kneeled down at Trixy’s side. Trixy was lying on the only bed in the room. She looked alright for the most part, despite a gash on the side of her head. Blood was slowly pouring from it and was staining the white fabric. 

Puna checked Trixy’s pulse. Relief gushed over her as she felt something. It wasn’t much; if Trixy wasn’t healed, soon, she would certainly die

“Jayden… what do they have that we can try? My tears healed the teachers… maybe it can heal her.” 

Jayden looked rather crazed in the lighting. Her hair was a mess and her tear-streaked face showed nothing but pure anger and desperation. She turned away. “Worth a try, I guess.” She muttered. “Can’t hurt.” 

Puna stepped forward, willing herself to cry. She didn’t like looking weak, but she would do anything to save her friends. Puna wasn’t the best at doing it, but she filled her head up with sad thoughts.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><  
(Flashback)  
“Mom? Mom, where are you?”

No voice responded to Puna’s call. The night was dead silent, and a cold mist was rolling in. Her parents had told her not to walk alone at night because some dragons were hungry for a midnight snack, but finding her mother was worth it.

“Puna?” It wasn’t the voice she was expecting. It was only her father, rushing after her through the forest.

“Father! Father, I lost mother! I...I saw her leave, and I followed her, but now she’s gone!”

He doesn't respond. Something starts to churn in Puna’s mind. It’s as if her father knew that her mother would leave. His reaction isn’t the same. Something is different.

Puna turns her back and runs, as if for her life. Something wasn’t right. It just wasn’t.

“MOM!” Puna calls again, but she has run so far that the sky is completely blocked and no light guides her path. Puna stumbles and tumbles down a hill, every branch stabbing into her skin. She trips over a tree root, scraping her knees when she falls. She pulls herself off the ground and brushes the dirt off of her hands. She is suddenly aware that she doesn’t know which direction to go anymore. She is lost. 

A jolt of panic fills her and she looks around. There is a group of caves nearby; perhaps she could take shelter there. There is a soft sound of rushing water nearby. “Puna?” Her father calls for her, again. If she does not start running, he will catch her. 

And so on she goes, ducking under branches and sweeping away curtains of trees, branches, and other foliage so that she may progress. The land is darkly lit and has a tone of mystery to it, as if it is keeping secrets from her, secrets it may never reveal. Fireflies flit about the trees, darting left and right around the scenery. 

She had never once considered before now how beautiful the land was. 

The caves are up ahead. She can reach them if she hurries. And then maybe she’ll find mother, if she’s lucky. Then they can run away from father. From his toxic words. He never hits or touches mother… but sometimes when he drinks he says… nasty things. He calls mother vile names and talks about what a disappointment Puna is. It hurts, but Puna knows that it's not really her papa saying that. That it’s the alcohol. That it speaks through his cracked lips and contorts his clammy face.

She runs to the cave, calling out to her, the only stable thing in her life.

“Mother! Mother, please!”

But there is no answer. Puna walks deeper into the cave. Suddenly she sees a light. Amber and gold, shining like the sun. No, she thinks, not quite like the sun; the sun is not as powerful as the light. The sun is not as ancient. She moves closer and closer to the light, shambling on numb legs like her father when he is intoxicated.

And then she sees it. She sees the golden band, with the intricate swirling designs of dragon fire. She sees the detail in every speck of the work. She sees the way that the light bounces off of the band and pulls her, closer; almost like a siren, with its seductive song. 

And then she notices the stone that’s been set in the armband. It’s perfect. The most beautiful thing that she's ever seen. She automatically knows that it was worth all of her mother's jewelry put together, but she understands that if she takes it, it will be hers forever. She couldn't give it to anyone. It will stay with her until her death, though she probably won’t give it up even then. 

“Puna! Come here this instant!” When her father’s greedy eyes lay upon the stone, she can see the excitement run through him. Never before has he held such a treasure. “Puna, where did you find that?” 

“In the cave.” Her answer is plain and hides nothing. 

“I thought I told you not to run off! There might be dragons nearby!” 

“Yes, dragons we're trying to hide from the world. What did you do with mother?” 

“It doesn’t matter. Come; we’re returning home.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><  
(Present)  
The tears were falling from Puna’s face like a water from a bucket, coming out in gushes. As she left her memories behind she stepped backward, looking at Trixy. A moment passed before she stirred and sat up. 

“Jayden? Puna?” Trixy’s voice was little more than a rasp or a croak, but Puna didn’t care. 

She’s alive. 

Nobody said anything for another moment. There were footsteps, and Warrene and Mwo entered through the doorway. There was a gash on Mwo’s arm and she winced every time she moved. “Trixy!” Mwo ran to Trixy’s side, sobbing as Puna had expected. “You’re alive!” 

Trixy brushed them away. “Don’t touch me! Now, what happened? We need to find the others. Mwo, you need to be healed, and I’m sure somebody else is hurt.” 

Jayden flushed, her face red with what was either embarrassment or anger. It was clear she was thinking of Lulana. Is she feeling guilty? 

Puna stood up. “She’s right. Warrene, was anybody else badly injured?” 

“Everybody appears to be alright. Evek and Alex don’t have many wounds. They’re helping Lulana, who’s been… winded.” She sent a subtle glance Jayden’s way, her eyes clouded with slight anger. “She’s also grazed her shoulder. Now that Trixy’s healed, she’s our next concern.” 

The gym was a wreck again. Puna pushed down her fear that the teachers would be mad and concentrated on Lulana. She wasn’t crying, unlike what Puna had expected. I guess she’s among those who don’t cry, often, like me, I guess. 

Lulana and Jayden locked eyes, but neither said anything. Puna sighed. “Oh, come on. Just apologize.” 

“No.” 

“Please?” 

Lulana sighed. “I’m sorry for throwing that rock at Trixy. I didn’t mean to hurt her. ...She’s fine, right? I only meant to scare her off of Puna...” Nobody answered her question, but when she saw Trixy standing on her feet, she pursed her lips. 

There was more silence. “Both of you,” Puna whispered. 

Jayden turned away. “No.” 

“Yes.” 

“She almost killed Trixy! I don’t have to apologize!” 

“She was trying to save me! And then you punched her!” shouted Puna 

“You all know Trixy! She would never actually have killed you! It was all your fault, anyway! If you didn’t start to scream and run around, none of this would’ve happened! I told you all, but you didn’t listen!” Jayden was yelling now. 

“How were we supposed to not be afraid? She said somebody was going to kill!” Puna shook with anger. “And how do you know she wouldn’t have killed me?” 

Jayden shook her head and walked away. Everybody stared at her retreating back. A moment passed before Trixy followed her. 

Well, that wasn’t settled, but I suppose it’s alright… We’ll have to explain this to the teachers somehow… Or we could remain silent. I bet they’ll think that Sibyl did it. 

“Come on, everybody. We better get back to our dorms.” Puna started to walk out the door, a grim silence pressed upon them all. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Task day was coming. It was so close, Puna could swear she could reach out and touch it. Though Jayden and Lulana had not made amends, Trixy had been forgiven by them all once more, though Puna wondered whether there was a way that they could control the way Trixy went insane.

Though task day was usually held in the gym, as it had been destroyed by an ‘unknown threat,’ it would now be held in an abandoned auditorium nearby. As it loomed closer, tests became more and more frequent, though none were nearly as memorable as their first. 

When the day finally came, Puna’s stomach was like a whirlpool, swirling about until she fell into the center. The velvet red seat cushions couldn’t calm her, no matter how soft and posh they were. What happens if my grades aren’t good enough? What if I don’t get a task? 

As their principal, Mrs. Jade stepped to the podium, she turned on her microphone and began to speak. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’m so glad you could join us, today. As most of you know, this is the fabled task day where assignments will be given to all those in 11th grade and up. If you’re younger, you will be able to witness, but you will not receive any tasks until you’re older.” 

There were sighs and groans from the younger kids, and Puna remembered when she had been their age, desperate to be out in the world, fighting. Her shoulders shook with momentary laughter before she once again realized how serious the situation was. 

“As more and more students leave the academy every year and often become a part of our society, we also get new students. Most of you have been trained for about two years, or if you’re newer, you at least have been trained this year, and maybe some before that. Now, it’s time that you’re given what you’ve all been waiting for: your assignments.” 

There was whooping, the sound almost deafening. Everyone was cheering. It felt so happy and exciting that Puna almost forgot what had happened in the gymnasium, almost. She still felt rattled about that evening, and couldn’t focus very well the day after the fight. She still didn’t sleep well because she had a pounding headache. 

“Once you receive your task, you will no longer have to attend classes. You will stay at the academy as a home, but you will be in charge of when you go and when you stay. Be responsible, students, and make sure I know if you’ll be leaving.” The principal was finishing up her speech but Puna wasn’t paying attention. 

It all felt very surreal. The lighting, the excited shouts, the movements of their principal. She was ready to call the first task and the first new ninja up to the stage. 

The principal’s words were taking so long it seemed they would never come out. Seconds and seconds squeezed past as the principal’s lips moved. Finally, sound met the crowd’s ears. 

“Puna Nogard” 

The crowd roared and screamed as the clapping got even louder. Puna couldn’t believe it. She was getting a task! “Puna! Puna!” Her friends were chanting her name as they pushed her out of her cushioned seat. She walked onto the stage, still dazed and was handed an envelope. 

All she could think about was how cliche the envelope looked when in her fingers, like in all the movies she had watched. “And your weapon.” Puna had forgotten about that part. It was quite overshadowed compared to the tasks and yet she was still excited. 

The principal opened a silver box, reached inside, and pulled out two spiked shoulder pads. In complete awe, Puna took them and put them on. They fit her perfectly. 

She began to open the envelope as well, but the principal stopped her. 

“Not yet, Puna. Wait.” Her voice was just a whisper. 

“Why not?” she asked. Her voice barely higher than the principals. 

“There will be time for that, later. Now, you need to take a seat back here.” There was a row of chairs stationed at the back of the stage. Puna sat down, fiddling with the envelope, and waiting for a time in which she would be able to open it. Pride expanded in her chest, making her heart grow louder with every beat. 

The principal went on, listing off more names. Puna held her breath, hoping her friends would also get tasks and work alongside her. 

Finally, she heard, “Warrene Pin.” Warrene’s silver eyes were shining with glee as she climbed up the steps and stood next to the principal. She puffed out her chest and stood up straight as she was handed an envelope and a pair of extended claws from the box. She chose a seat next to Puna, smiling from ear to ear. 

“Trixy Chartisathian.” Trixy received a magic dagger that could reappear when she threw it. “Jayden Holeans.” Jayden got two whips. “Evek Taao.” Evek received extended fangs, so tiny you could barely see them. “Mwo Taji.” Mwo’s weapon was a metal staff that looked like it would really hurt to get hit by. She grinned as she threw it up in the air and caught it like it was a baton. “Alex Hamlet.” Alex’s weapon was also pretty small; a sharp quill. The only one left was Lulana, still clapping for the others. 

Puna’s stomach lurched. We have almost all of the gang together! What if we all get tasks? 

“Lulana Badar” Puna sighed in relief, sinking back in her chair. As Lulana sat down, two swords in tow, Puna whispered a few words to them. 

“I’m glad we’re all together, again. What about we meet in… well, not the gym… what about Trixy and Jayden’s dorm, since they share one? We’ll see what our tasks are, there.” 

As the ceremony was coming to the close, the principal had a few more words to share. “Some tasks may be the same or similar. You will all be called in here later and we’ll talk to you about what you are to do. You are allowed to share with friends, though no bragging, please, and keep them confidential from anybody outside of the school. Thank you.” 

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Puna was always careful when opening envelopes. While her friends liked to rip them right open, she always placed her thumb in between the two parts of the paper and slid it across so that it opened easily. As she pulled out the piece of paper inside and unfolded it gently, her friends waited with baited breath. 

“So?” 

The words were in rather big print. “Infiltrate the Obsidian base and… capture Marigold.” Panic suddenly shot through her. “Marigold? Me?” 

Lulana and Warrene clapped their hands. “Congrats, Puna!” Warrene smirked. “Have fun with that one.” She opened hers, ripping the envelope nearly to shreds and tossing it aside. “Ooh, wow, this sure is interesting. Uh, ‘infiltrate the Obsidian base and free those held there.’ Seems easy enough.” 

Mwo pulled hers out, next. “Um, mine says... to go to the Obsidian base and free those held there, too… but it also says to capture Merlyn… who will also be there, from stealing something important? Huh. Wonder how they know. Why do you think they put us together? That’s kind of weird.”

“Why is that weird? You and Warrene are a couple, anyway. Aren’t you excited to work together?” Lulana tilted her head to the side. 

“Well, while it’s not unheard of for two people to have the same task, it is odd for those two people to well, be… in a relationship. Or even friends at all. Or even mutual at all. Most of the time if you have the same task as someone else, they are either your enemy or you don't know them.” Puna shrugged. “Guess they just changed it, or something.” 

“My turn!” Jayden opened hers in the same fashion the others did. There were papers littered all over the floor. “Ooh, look at that. ‘Go to the Obsidian base and capture Pacific.’ Alright! I get the hard one!” A sly grin spread across her face. 

Lulana opened hers, next. “‘Capture Pacific?’ Hey, Jayden! We got the same one!” Lulana forced a smile while Jayden scowled and looked away. Disappointment shown in Lulana’s eyes; she had clearly been hoping to end up with a teammate who actually liked her. 

Let’s just hope they don’t ruin any missions. Wonder who I’m going to be paired up with.

Trixy opened her envelope. She then said, “‘Blah, blah, blah, Obsidian base and... Capture Marigold.’ Oh, huh. Puna, we’re gonna be together, I guess.” 

“What? But we don’t hate each other, either… do we?” 

Trixy shook her head in response. “Maybe they’re just making lots and lots of exceptions.” 

Puna pretended to not be worried. “Y-Yeah! I guess” Oh gosh. What if something happens that makes Trixy go evil again? I won’t have anyone with me except for Marigold, and Marigold would just take advantage of that and kill me. Well, as long as we don’t scream… Ah, well. Nothing we can do but hope. But… what if Marigold knows Trixy’s weakness… and she uses it to her advantage? Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh. Puna didn’t notice that she had started hyperventilating until Mwo squeezed her hand.

“You okay, Puna?” she smiled. 

Puna nodded. “I’m fine. It’s just so strange, how this is all happening. It’s like Christmas all the time. We’re always getting something new.” She forced a smile, hoping to direct the other’s attention towards something else. 

Evek was opening hers. A good distraction. They shouldn’t bother with me and my strange thoughts. 

“Hm. Interesting.” 

“Well? What is it?” Puna was eager to see whether or not anybody else would end up on her team. 

“Capture Sibyl. Sweet!” 

Puna sighed. Maybe Alex will be with me. 

“And I’m last. Again. Ah, well. Let me see… Capture Sibyl.” 

So then I’m alone with Trixy. Unless there’s somebody not here who has the same task. Perhaps another student. I feel so stressed! Why does this have to happen to me? 

“Alright! Well, the teachers did say they were going to call us in to talk about or tasks or something, right? When will that happen?” Lulana was grinning widely. 

“Well, until they call us down, I guess we’ve got nothing to do. It’ll most likely happen tomorrow.” Puna looked around the room. “I suppose we could…” A sudden idea came to her. “Has anybody given any thought to the clue Trixy’s stone gave us? ‘Killing in cold blood will get the other two their stones.’ It means either Mwo, Warrene, or both are going to have to kill somebody without regretting it.” 

Mwo shivered. “I don’t know… Maybe it doesn’t have to mean we’ll kill in cold blood? What if Sibyl does, and when we witness it, our stones appear?” 

Beside Puna, Trixy shook her head. “The stone hasn’t told me much else, but I can try talking to it, I guess, though it does sound kind of weird.” She tapped it’s rough edges as if trying to hit some sort of switch. The Starfall had a faint glow, now. 

Its lights began to flicker. For a moment, Puna was confused, until she remembered that was its way of speaking. 

“It’s just saying the same thing.” Trixy clipped the stone back into her hair. “No luck. I’m sure we’ll find out, eventually.” 

But Puna wasn’t so sure. She didn’t want there to be ‘killing in cold blood’ at all. Not within her friends, not without. What if Trixy kills me or Marigold? What if Mwo and Warrene do something awful? What’s going to happen? 

As Puna entered her dorm and shut the door behind her, she considered trying to sleep, but there was no use in trying. As she watched the moon from her window, she considered all the bad things that could happen until she drifted off, her head resting on her arms.


	5. Warrene

Warrene dropped to her hands and knees. The stone ground was cold under her fingers and she inhaled, pressing down the surging panic that filled her. With the encouragement of her teachers after their meetings she was ready for what she had to do. 

The meeting had gone well. The teachers had gone over the tasks with the students, telling them what they needed to do to complete theirs. Warrene was with only Mwo with the ‘infiltrate the base and free those held there,’ though she was slightly jealous of Mwo for getting two tasks instead of her one. 

For some strange reason, Puna seemed frightened whenever they brought up the tasks. She would twiddle her thumbs and drift off until eventually the subject changed. Strange behavior for Puna. Something must be wrong. But what’s bothering her so much? 

There wasn’t time to dwell on that, now. The Obsidian base was just ahead of her; she could make it if she was quick. If she was quiet and quick. 

Feeling the envelope that was still in her pocket, she crept forward, staying low to the ground. Her lanky limbs stretched out in funny angles 

I wonder what the others are doing? Hopefully they’re doing good... hopefully they all come back safe. Oh goodness, I need to get back to work. Focus, Warrene, focus. You know they’ll call you if they need help. No need to worry. 

Mwo’s shadowy figure trailed just behind her, crawling close to the ground. They had a plan: they would release the prisoners first, then Warrene would create a distraction and Mwo would head off to find Merlyn. 

Please let it work. It has to work! I hope the others are doing well. 

Her thoughts were scattered but she tried to channel them into one stream so that she could concentrate. She was now supposed to jump up and down or do something crazy so that she and Mwo would be taken to the prison. They were then supposed to find a way to escape from there that also ended up freeing any others. 

Any others that are part of the Sapphire group, of course. I’ve got to be careful not to help any enemies. 

Peeking out from the undergrowth of the small garden just outside the base, she looked upward for any advantages she and Mwo had. There were several guards perched just where she was, and they seemed determined to stop whoever wanted to get in from going anywhere. The dungeon was packed full of people, but there were a few open cells. 

Open cells that would soon be occupied. The bars were just wide enough for her to stick her foot through. That would be good, considering there was a guard patrolling the corridors. Sure, she was making it all up on the spot, but as long as it was good before she went in, she would be fine. 

If we call him over, trip him, and grab his keys we can escape. I’ll make sure panic ensues as I run about freeing those on our side. While there’s a distraction, Mwo will slip out and find Merlyn and will rejoin with the group. I can only hope I’ll make it out. Then I’ll just have to wait back at the Sapphire base until they return. 

She turned to Mwo. “Alright. Here’s the plan.” 

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“Hello, guard-people! Better catch me before I do something bad!” 

The guards were absent-minded for the first part, drifting off every now and then. It would be easy to escape, if she remained focused. 

“Y-yeah!” Mwo’s shouts sounded from behind her. “We’re coming to steal your secret plans!” 

The guards whispered amongst themselves. As one stepped down and tackled Warrene, she didn’t fight, much to their surprise. 

The guard scoffed. “Alright, then. Come along. We’ve got an open cell for you.” 

They walked for a moment until the guards suddenly stopped before the bases door. “Search them for weapons.” 

Warrene and Mwo had both seen it coming; they had hidden the weapons within the folds of a cloth bag on Mwo’s back. The bag was big and from any outsider’s viewpoint seemed to be a part of Mwo’s outfit. It had been well designed. The guards confiscated nothing. 

Next to her, Mwo shifted and fidgeted as they walked down the long corridor. It was close, now, and as they approached the grand brass door something filled her. Warmth.

What is going on?

“Stop being so mean!” 

Talkative bunch, I see. 

Somebody scoffed. “Really, 003. Don’t be so sensitive.” 

“That’s not my name! 005, tell her that's not my name!” 

Warrene flinched. Wow. I sure do hope I’m not in a cell near them. 

Fortunately, she and Mwo were taken near the back. “Don’t mind them,” the guard murmured in her ear. “They’re just over excited. They’ll be released soon.” 

Warrene didn’t say anything.

The guard unlocked the bar door and it swung open with a creak. Warrene stepped inside, followed by Mwo who grabbed her hand. The door shut and locked but she didn’t mind. She was too busy listening to the conversation nearby. 

“Warrene? WARRENE!” 

“Hm? Oh, sorry, Mwo. Uh, should we begin? Which cells have Sapphire prisoners?” 

“Perhaps they’ll have a special marking on them. Check for any tags. Oh, this is so exciting!” 

“Mwo? Warrene? Is that you? Is Lulana there?” a male voice asked.

Warrene scrambled to the door. “Pacific? Sorry, but we’re not freeing you, if that’s what you want. You better watch out. Jaidyn and Lulana are after you.” 

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t count on that. Besides, I’ll be out of here in no time at all. And I highly doubt the part about MY GIRLFRIEND coming after me. Good luck with that.” 

“Your girlfriend?” Warrene made a face. “You know, kissing somebody and getting a slap in return isn’t the same as dating.” 

“Yeah. Lulana. She's my girl. She hasn't slapped me once. She called me cute.”

Mwo grabbed Warrene’s arm. “He’s bluffing. He’s trying to get you to do something bad. Don’t trust him.” 

Warrene shook her head. “I wouldn’t for the world. We’ve got a plan to finish.”

“We really are dating.” 

“If you were, you wouldn’t be so keen to reveal your weakness.” 

“Fine. Be surprised when she betrays you.” 

“Oh, be quiet.” Warrene looked around at the cages. There were no markings or tags; they were just going to have to ask and trust. 

As the guard that patrolled the halls walked past, she called him closer. 

“Hey. Hey, you. I have a question. When’s lunch?” 

He shrugged. “Not for a while.” 

When the guard started to walk again, Warrene slipped on her extended claws and pushed them through the bottom of the bars,and grabbed his feet, causing the sentry to fall flat on his face. Smirking, she grabbed the keys from out of his pockets, hooking them on the top of her extended claws and carefully reeling them in. 

When she got them through the bars, she unlocked the cell so she and Mwo could get to the other cells to free the prisoners. She then put the sentry in cell she had been in and locked it, sealing the sentry inside, so he wouldn’t get in the way of their mission. 

Mwo smirked. “Good job. Come on; we have to be quick.” 

They looked around to see if there was any sign to show where the prisoners were from, but there weren't any. They triple checked the cells. There was nothing. 

Warrene searched and searched again, for something, anything, that would give them a clue. I should’ve thought this out beforehand! Hm… there’s a stack of papers, nearby. Perhaps those will be of some help. 

She ran to the front of the room and began tossing papers aside. She needed to hurry; it wouldn’t be long before somebody noticed what was happening. Lunch Menu… Late Note… Notice about the length each prisoner will be held for… Ah ha! 

“Mwo!,” she said quietly, not wanting to speak too loudly in case a guard was nearby. “I think I found something. Come over here, quickly!” 

Mwo hurried over to her, knocking several things over in the process. 

“Shh! You’re going to let the guards know we’re in here! Be quiet!” Warrene was trying to be very cautious, but she couldn’t blame Mwo for the mess. There were lots of things on the ground that it was so hard for her to find the papers in the first place. What’s even worse, there was shards of glass on the ground from her accidently knocking a empty vase on the ground when she was fumbling through the drawers of the cabinet. 

“What did you find, Warrene?” Mwo asked. 

“There is information about the prisoners in this file. There are quite a few of them, so I need you to help me sort through them to find which ones are from Mt. Sapphire Academy and which aren’t.” Mwo nodded, and they got to work. 

They found three students from Mt. Sapphire Academy: Clover, Violet, and Laurel when they heard the clanking of keys. They sounded as if they were coming for them around the corner. They didn’t have time to finish looking through all of these, so they decided that they had to get the ones they could and come for the others later. It wasn’t part of the original plan, but it would have to work. 

Warrene reached for the keys that she took from the sentry, but they weren’t there. She kept feeling around. 

She turned to Mwo. “Where are they? What happened?” Mwo barely had time to shrug before Warrene was slammed against a wall, pinned by two strong hands. 

“Hello, Warrene. Looking for these?” Pacific flashed her a sly grin as he tossed the ring of keys up into the air and caught them again. 

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“Pacific.” Warrene’s voice was little more than a growl. “How. Did. You. Get. OUT?!” 

“Oh, it was quite easy, really. I picked the lock. It’s as simple as that.” 

Something hit Pacific over the head and he swiveled around, releasing Warrene. Behind him was Mwo with her long staff, a look of determination on her face. She hit him again and he grimaced, pulling out his twin spears. They began fighting with vigor as Warrene stood up, unsheathing her long claws. 

She raked them down Pacific’s back and he turned to face her, snarling. “I’ve had your friends ruin enough for me. You ruined my plan. You ruined Lulana’s pride! You certainly won’t ruin this!” He hit her with his spear on the head and she doubled over in pain.

The blow was unexpected. Mwo shouted from behind him but she didn’t hear her through the fog that had settled over her, threatening to pull her from consciousness. 

Her vision was spinning and she was slipping out of reality. With her last bit of draining strength she raised one hand and slashed at Pacific’s cheek. His cry of pain was the last thing she heard before she blacked out. 

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“Warrene!” she heard her name, faintly though. 

“Warrene! Wake up, we have to go now!” she heard it more clearly. 

“WARRENE!” she felt an object come in contact with her cheek, followed by a stinging sensation, that hurt. 

“Wh-what?” She opened her eyes. The world was fuzzy; her vision was swimming in clouds of grey. “Mwo?” Mwo was hovering over her, a look of concern on her round face. 

“Warrene, get up! We have to go. The guards will be here, soon.” As Warrene’s vision became more and more clear she realized that there were several others standing behind Mwo. For a moment she felt a jolt of panic, convinced that it was Sibyl, Pacific, and Merlyn but as she looked again she saw that they were people she’d never seen. 

“Who are they?” She lifted a weak arm and pointed. Mwo shook her head. 

“They come from Mt. Sapphire. No time to explain anything else. We need to go.” 

She took her time to stand up. “What about getting Merlyn?” 

“I couldn’t find her. Her company’s also gone. I think that Pacific let them out, while I was trying to save you, I am really sorry, but I was afraid you were leaving me.” She felt very angry at Mwo for letting Sibyl and her group go, but her concerned look made Warrene forgive her. 

“Well then, you go and find her while I take these prisoners back.” 

“What!? I can’t do that!” she looked afraid, but I still wanted to get the job done. If they didn’t, they may not be able to get any more missions. They had to show the principle that they could do it.

“MWO! WARRENE! YOU'RE OK!!!!!!” two very familiar voices shouted. It was Lulana and Jaidyn. They ran over and tackle-hugged them.

“Lulana! What happened to your eye?” Mwo asked, examining Lulana’s puffy black eye.

“Sibyl.” 

“So you found them?” 

“Sort of. They ran off, but… I know where they went. Come on!” 

“Why are you over here?” 

“Doesn’t matter right now. Come on! They’re over this way!”

“How do you know?” Mwo asked. Lulana hesitated.

“I… just do, ok? Jaidyn and I need to catch Pacific. Come on, hurry up.”

Was Pacific telling the truth? Has Lulana already fallen for him? Are they using her? I should ask. Should I? What if she doesn't want to talk about it? 

As they raced down a corridor, Jaidyn stopped, reaching out an arm to halt the rest of them. “Shh. They’re just down here. Come along quietly.” 

Lulana looked down at her feet, muttering something about white tigers and pacific black dragons. She looked like she was guilty of something. 

Jaidyn rolled her eyes and Warrene noticed a bloody gash running down her arm. Warrene didn’t take time to examine it; they were moving, but barely. There were whispers from up ahead. Sibyl was talking with her group. 

“Pacific, are you SURE she'll come through with this? She could betray us.” 

“You’re sure we can’t just kill them right now?” Merlyn’s words were followed by a laugh. “We could do it now. We’d kill all of them, except for Warrene. We could even get the mole. She’d never know.” 

“Her name is Mwo, not mole, and no, we can't kill them, or that would tear her apart. Do we want that?” Marigold was speaking, now. 

“I mean the mole, ferret brain!” hissed Merlyn. “You know, the spy? The two-timer? The double-crosser?”

“WE AREN'T KILLING LULANA.” Pacific’s voice echoed through the halls, and Lulana froze. 

Warrene turned to her. She turned just in time to see Lulana jump over the railing. 

“Lulana! Where are you going?!” Warrene ran after her, but it was too late.

“Ah, finally. We’ve been waiting for you.” Marigold’s voice echoed coldly through the corridor as Lulana landed in front of them.

Warrene felt a sickening feeling in her stomach. “Lulana?” She choked the word out, barely making much noise. Several heads turned towards her. 

“And who is this?” Merlyn’s voice was cold and high-pitched.

“I’m… sorry that I’m late, Sibyl. The girls wanted to find you.” she said quietly.

“Ok, I accept your apology.” Sibyl said as she walked over to Lulana and hugged her. 

“We weren’t asking you,” Merlyn snapped. “We were talking about the intruders!”

“I LEAD THEM HERE FOR YOU!” Lulana shouted. 

Warrene stepped backwards. “No… HOW COULD YOU!”

“Yeah! I told you that she would betray you, but you refused to believe the truth!” Pacific yelled, as he took Lulana and kissed her. “That's my girl!” Lulana was blushing. 

Warrene clenched one hand into a fist. She wanted with all of her might to rip the smug look off of Pacific’s face. “SHE WOULDN’T!” 

“Looks like she did,” Marigold said plaintively. “And she did the same with her other friends, as well. Ever wondered what happened to Trixy, Puna, Alex, and Evek? Why didn’t they come running?” 

“Lulana… no. H-how could you?” Warrene choked. 

Lulana shrugged. “Sorry, guys. Love calls.” But tears spilled in gentle streams off her face as Pacific held her tighter to his chest. It was the first time Warrene had seen her cry. Pacific pulled a small pot out of Lulana’s pocket. She opened it, let out a gentle sigh, and smeared a red goo on her face, and stopped crying almost immediately. 

Sibyl snarled. “Get rid of them.” 

Merlyn giggled. “Can we kill them? ‘Cept for that one, of course.” Merlyn pointed towards Warrene, who flinched. 

“‘Course not, dummy.” Marigold stepped forward and grabbed Mwo’s arm. 

“Can I at least take Warrene?” Merlyn batted her eyelashes, but Lulana shook her head. 

“I want Warrene. Merlyn, you got to take Puna, anyways.” Merlyn growled and rolled her eyes. Lulana grabbed Warrene’s arm. “Come along.” 

As she was lead down the long hall, Warrene felt even more sick. Her throat wouldn’t allow any more words out so she was stuck in silence with the same thoughts running through her head. 

Why would Lulana do such a thing? Have I really seen her before? It didn’t seem like it, at first, but now… Was she a traitor the whole time? Now she knows our powers and weaknesses! How much does Sibyl know? And… how long do we have? 

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Warrene found herself bound, gagged and tossed into a prison cell ALONE. She whimpered. 

Mwo’s faint sobbing came from a hallway or two down as Merlyn hurled insult after insult at her. She tried to pinpoint their exact location, but her head was pounding and her vision failed her. 

“Stupid, bumbling idiot. Fat, ugly, stupid monster. No one likes you. Do. You. Even. Understand? And Warrene? She loves me. Me, more than anyone. She told me herself that she thinks you’re too clingy and gross. And why wouldn’t she? You’re a fat ugly stupid idiot that has no skills whatsoever.” Merlyn was clearly enjoying herself, every sentence ending with that little laugh she had. Mwo’s sobs turned frantic when she was told the lies about Warrene.

“MAAT WISHN'T TUE!” Warrene shouted through the gag, feeling a small twinge of guilt. 

“Shut up,” Marigold said forcefully. “We get it, your friend betrayed you and now you’re all trapped. Get over it.” 

Warrene looked around. The cell was dimly lit and it had a creepy vibe to it. As Merlyn walked away and Mwo’s sobbing faded she could hear no noises other than water dripping nearby. Her claws were nowhere near her, and her power was of no help. Unless… perhaps there was something nearby to free her, if she was lucky. 

There was the sound of footsteps. 

“Well, well, well. Little Warrene, all alone. Poor, pathetic, tiny creature.” Lulana murmured, her eyes portraying pure satisfaction. 

How many people were around her? Had they left the others unguarded? What had happened to the prisoners she had freed? They had escaped, right? 

She closed her eyes and focused, calming herself. Lulana had cried, earlier. She was feeling regret for something, Warrene just needed to figure out what it was. 

“I wanted… I wanted… I wanted to say… SORRY NOT SORRY.” Lulana hissed, her voice edged with something Warrene couldn’t recognize. 

Warrene let out a deep and throaty growl. She knew it wasn’t enough to sway Lulana but she hoped it would at least scare her. Traitor, she wanted to say. Foolish, selfish, crafty, cross-eyed-bat, thieving, double crossing, cowardly traitor. 

“Lulana, time to go. We need to gather some stuff for the Blood Moon Ball.” Pacific said, picking up Lulana who was dressed in white and black.

Warrene let out another growl. She wished she had been the one to receive extended fangs; it would had been pleasing to rip Lulana and Pacific to shreds and toss the leftovers into the fire. 

“Wait! I want to talk to Warrene, alone.” Lulana said. Pacific shrugged and walked away.

Lulana unbound her. They sat in silence until Warrene spoke.

“Why? Why did you betray us?”

Lulana sighed. “Because I’m in love.” 

“So!? Does that even matter!? You betrayed us! You know what happens now: They destroy our school, they destroy us… They were talking about killing us, Lulana!” 

“I would never let them do something like that!”

“You betrayed us. We don’t know what you might do.” 

“Warrene, you’ve got to trust me!” 

“How can I?! I don’t even know who to trust!” 

There was more silence until Warrene spoke again. “Was it you?” 

“Hmm?”   
“Did you do what I think you did?” 

Lulana shrugged. “I don’t know what I would have done that would upset you.” 

More silence. 

Lulana sighed. “Love gets in the way of many things. Ah, well.” She began to walk away and anger coursed through Warrene once more. 

“Traitor!” she spat, angry that Lulana had gone with Pacific. “Cowardly traitor!”

Luana whirled around to face Warrene. “Look, if you want to be freed, I’ve left some things about the room to help you. Your friends are in cells further down. Now, I’m going to be a little ways away, casually distracting Sibyl, Merlyn, Marigold, and Pacific. Good luck.” Lulana left without another word. 

“PACIFIC! WAIT FOR ME!” Lulana’s voice rang about. “Hey, you heard about where they’re keeping the weapons? THEY’RE IN THAT DRAWER OVER THERE!” 

“I hear you, Lulana. Quiet down!” Pacific shut the door to the dungeon as he exited. 

Warrene stood up. After Lulana had untied her, it felt good to stretch out her legs. How long had she been in there? By the tone of Lulana’s voice, it seemed not long. As she looked around, she noticed the keys sitting just within her reach. 

She stretched one arm forward and grabbed them. The brass door swung open with a creak and she stepped into the hallway. It was like a maze, but she knew how to navigate it. She walked forward slowly. Lulana was right; her friends really were further down. 

There was a shape, up ahead. I thought they were enemies with Mt. Obsidian. Why else would Pacific had been locked up? Unless… There was no way he picked that lock so quickly! He knew we were coming! Did Lulana tell him? 

A growl from up ahead: “Lulana! I don’t want your stupid apologies! Didn’t I tell you to go away?!” 

“Evek!” Warrene rushed to her friend’s cage. “There you are!” 

“Warrene? How’d you get free? Don’t tell me you’re a traitor, too.” 

“No! Of course not! Come on; I’m here to free you!” Using the biggest key on the ring Warrene unlocked Evek and helped her up. It appeared Lulana had already spoken to her; bits and pieces of rope were laying off to the side. “What happened to you?” 

Evek shrugged. “We tried to ambush Sibyl and her friends but then Lulana convinced us that they were about to move. We went into another room and Lulana pushed us to the ground. I don’t remember much but I do remember waking up here.” Evek sighed. “We shouldn’t have ever trusted her.” 

Warrene sighed. “I have no idea where her loyalties lie, anymore. She tricked us into following her, and then lead us into a trap. Come on. We need to find the others.” 

She concentrated and looked for the nearest cage. There was somebody a couple of halls ahead. Based off of the character’s movements, she guessed it was Mwo and her heart skipped a beat. 

Her feet thumped across the concrete, followed by another set- Evek’s. As the cage came in to view she threw caution to the wind and ran as fast as her long legs could take her. She crashed into the bars, barely catching herself and shaking with laughter. 

Evek was soon at her side. “Warrene? Have fun and all, but please, don’t reveal our location.” 

Warrene couldn’t contain her giggles. “Sorry. It’s just… I’ve forgotten how good it feels to do that. Alright, Mwo. Let’s get you out of here.” 

Mwo was sitting near the bars. Hope filled her eyes when she saw the two. “Warrene? Evek? What’s going on?” 

“We’ll explain later. Come on! We’ve got to find the others!” She unlocked the door and Mwo leaped out. 

The next closest cell was Jaidyn’s, and Warrene found herself running once again. She didn’t care what the others said. Suddenly she felt someone’s arm on her’s, pulling her backwards. She tried to fight it, but more pulled her backwards. 

“Stop it! Let me go!” she grunted, still struggling to get away from the arms restraining her.

“Warrene! Listen to me. This is Jaidyn’s cell. The corridor is booby trapped. Look at the lights on the side. If they fell on you, some sort of alarm would go off.” Evek’s voice was calm with only a small hint of fear. Warrene felt a flush of embarrassment. In all her eagerness to be free, she had forgotten to be careful. 

“There weren’t traps around the other ones… What makes Jaidyn’s cage different?” 

Mwo shrugged. “Lulana and Jaidyn were sort of enemies. It would sort of make sense if Lulana decided she didn’t want us to free Jaidyn, I guess.” 

Warrene sighed. “There’s got to be some way. Hold on.” She concentrated. If they flattened themselves against the walls, and perhaps if she used her claws to deflect the beams- she was being reckless, once again. Why wasn’t she thinking it through? Why wasn’t she coming up with some clever scheme to get past the traps? 

She cleared her mind as if it was an Etch-a-Sketch and focused on Jaidyn. Jaidyn, who was a mess of chains and shackles, snarling and snapping. She couldn’t stand being restrained; her long black hair was tangled and messy, her dark eyes were bloodshot, and her wiry limbs stretched out in awkward angles. 

But what really disturbed Warrene was that Lulana was standing over Jaidyn, an unfathomable expression plastered onto her face. Warrene stumbled backwards, confused. She bumped into something tall- no, someone tall, and for a moment she thought it was Evek until she whirled around and saw the bulky figure of Pacific, followed closely by Merlyn, then Marigold, then Sibyl. 

“So we meet again, Warrene,” Pacific sneered. “Trying to escape, are you? We can’t have that. So how about you just step down now, and nobody gets hurt.” He flashed a toothy grin. “Unless… we could always do this the other way. Get them.” 

Their shadows loomed down on her, and it was all she could do to try not to scream.


	6. Evek

There wasn’t any time to think. She had two choices: Run or fight. How did Sibyl find us? Did Lulana betray us, really, or was she bluffing? What’s going on? 

“Get them.” Pacific’s words were cold and filled with malice. Evek felt the sudden urge to give him a well-deserved slap in the face. She could hear Lulana’s voice not too far away, followed by a shout from Jaidyn. She had to find the two. They started to advance on Warrene and Evek stepped in front of her friends.

Something dropped from the ceiling, and Pacific, Sibyl, Marigold, and Merlyn backed away. Evek noticed there was a sudden cut across Pacific’s face. 

As the fighting began she slipped backwards into the darkness. She heard the battle shouts and cries from behind her- nobody had noticed her sudden departure. She had to find Jaidyn and Lulana and convince them to come with her. The hall was short and she could run fast. She would make it in time. 

“Lulana? Jaidyn?” She wasn’t normally the one to save her friends, but she felt it had to be done. 

As she reached the end of the hallway, what she saw shocked her. Jaidyn was snarling at Lulana, gnashing her teeth, trapped inside a cell, while Lulana stood over her, calm and poised. Evek hesitated, standing only an arm length away but still unsure of what to do. She managed to choke out a word or two, nothing that they would understand but she was so confused that she didn't mind. 

“Jaidyn. Please. Calm down.” 

“How can I!?” Jaidyn’s voice was little more than a roar of rage and pent up fury. “Traitor! I knew we couldn’t trust you! First you try to kill Trixy, then you get our information, and lastly you leave us for Pacific! Pacific, the brat! Pacific, who tried to kill us!” Jaidyn flung herself at the bars but she was restrained by numerous shackles. 

There was squabbling between the two before Evek intervened. “Stop!”   
Evek’s voice even startled herself. There was silence. “Lulana, please. It’s time you pick a side. Stay with us, or go off with Pacific and his group of raccoons.” Evek could have sworn she’d heard Lulana mutter ‘they’re not raccoons’ before she turned and unlocked Jaidyn’s cage and shackles. Jaidyn stepped outside, refusing to look at Lulana. Close up, Evek could see the dark, blue circles under her eyes, showing that she hadn’t had sleep in a long time.

“Let’s just go,” hissed Jaidyn. “Before the others get a beating.” 

Evek, glad to have settled most of the drama, lead the others back down the hallway to where Warrene and Mwo were left to fight Pacific, Merlyn, Sibyl, and Marigold. Whatever had dropped from the ceiling had disappeared. Evek felt a sudden pang of regret. Perhaps she shouldn’t have left them. 

Mwo was on the floor, surrounded by Merlyn and Marigold, while Warrene was backed into a corner, trapped by Pacific and Sibyl. 

“Hey!” Jaidyn’s shout came from behind Evek. “Get away from them!” 

The quartet turned around, stepping away from Mwo and Warrene. Mwo leaped to her feet. “Evek! Where have you been? Jaidyn? Lulana? Um… Hi?” 

Evek shrugged. “I went to fetch them.” 

Sibyl growled. “Enough! Don’t hold the attack! Get them!” 

With one motion, Merlyn and Marigold knocked Mwo onto the ground and swept her away. She bumped into Warrene and they fell into a heap on the floor, emitting two tiny “oofs” in the process. 

Jaidyn ran forward at Sibyl, both her whips out and deadly. Sibyl let out a cry as she stumbled backwards, but she retaliated and attacked once more. Evek jumped into the heat of battle, baring her sharp teeth and landing atop Sibyl. Her teeth met Sibyl’s arm and she made a face. Sibyl’s blood had a bitter tang like nothing she’d ever tasted. 

They had Sibyl outnumbered by one but it didn’t seem to be enough. Sibyl shook Evek off and she, too, was tossed into the corner. She snarled. We can’t afford to lose! 

Suddenly, there was a fierce battle cry of rage and two figures came running forward: Alex, and Puna. The figure dropped from the ceiling once more, growling, and Evek realized that it was Trixy.   
Filled with courage, Evek stood up and ran at the distracted Marigold who was tossed to the floor. 

The battle was even more intense, now. Mwo and Warrene were back at it, again, giving Merlyn a good beating. Lulana had cleverly disguised herself within the mass of a crowd- Evek wondered where her true allegiances lied. Jaidyn and Trixy fought back to back, slashing and growling, while Alex and Puna took down Marigold. 

It was a lovely sight, seeing Sibyl so afraid. Evek ran at her with vigor like none other, determined to take he down. Sibyl dodged, but barely, and Evek tore the edge of her dress. Sibyl narrowed her eyes and continued to fight. 

Lulana had slipped into the shadows and was so well hidden that it took Evek a moment to find her. She was behind Marigold, gently giving her a slash on the back. Does that mean she’s really against them, or on our side? 

Sibyl’s voice broke through the shouts. “Retreat!” For a moment, satisfaction filled Evek, but then she realized what they were doing: there was no hope in capturing them if they left. In one final attempt Evek ran after them. 

She sped down corridors and halls, trying to remain slightly hidden so that Sibyl wouldn’t recognize her immediately. As she nearly caught up with them, she reached for Sibyl’s hand and tried to whisk her back into the shadows. 

There was a gasp from Merlyn and Sibyl recoiled. Something tripped Evek and she fell to the ground, face-flat. The last thing she heard was Merlyn’s hushed whispering as they escaped from her grasp, before she sank into inescapable darkness.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Evek’s vision was a blur. She blinked once, then twice, and yet it still didn’t quite clear. Why won’t it clear? She was lying down on something soft. There were voices around her, worried talking. She thought she heard her name. 

As the world became less fuzzy, she examined her surroundings. She was lying in the school infirmary, with Jaidyn and Trixy huddled over her. Lulana was sitting in a nearby chair, her wrists tied with a necklace she often wore, apart from her Moonfall Stone. Mwo and Warrene sat together on a bench while Puna had drifted off on another bed. 

The infirmary was large and smelled of cleaning wipes and Benadryl. Evek sat up, waving Jaidyn and Trixy away. Her first thoughts were directed at Lulana. What had happened while she had been knocked out? 

Jaidyn grinned. “Good to see you’re feeling better, Evek. How’s your head?” 

“My head?” Evek ran her fingers over her bandaged head. “What… what happened?” 

Trixy shrugged. “You ran after Sibyl but she tripped you and knocked you out. We had no hope of catching her, so we came back here.” 

“What about our tasks?” 

“We can worry about those, later.” Jaidyn turned to look at Lulana. “We have other things to worry about.” 

Lulana winced and turned away at Jaidyn’s harsh words. Evek could have sworn she’d heard Lulana softly mumble “I’m sorry,” but it didn’t matter. Lulana had broken their trust. 

Mwo narrowed her eyes, looking angrier than Evek had ever seen her. “Now that we’re all awake, we can have a talk with Lulana.” She stood right in front of Lulana, barely reaching the top of Lulana’s head. Mwo took another step forward, her staff raised. “Do you even know what you’ve done?” 

Lulana sighed but said nothing. Mwo went on. “Do you feel the pain you’ve made us feel? You’ve caused all of this mess, Lulana. All of this hurt. I wish you understood! You need to feel the pain.” Mwo paused and laughed. “Once… once, a girl was teasing me. She said these awful things about how I had nobody and no one wanted me. I got so angry, I punched her in the face.” Mwo’s face contorted with sadness. “For a moment, I was happy, but then I realized I had hurt the girl.” 

“I felt the pain, Lulana. Can you?” Lulana still didn’t reply. She looked down at her hands, as if this conversation had nothing to do with her.

Evek stepped forward so she was standing next to Mwo. Her voice was soft and her words were merely croaks, but she kept going. “Lulana. You need to decide where your allegiances lie. You can stay with us, or you can go back to Pacific.” Evek looked at the floor, pushing down her anger. 

Lulana’s fingers twitched as she fiddled with her handcuffs. “What if I’m a spy for the other side? We would get some extra information!” 

“NO!” The shout had come from Evek, Alex, Puna, Mwo, Alex, and Jaidyn at the same time. Jaidyn pushed her way to the front so she was face-to-face with Lulana. 

“If you stick with us, you will never, NEVER see him again unless you’re fighting him. Understand?” Jaidyn dangled Lulana’s katana in front of her face.

Trixy turned to Warrene, who was hunched in the back. “Warrene? Didn’t you say you’d seen her before, somewhere?” 

Warrene looked suddenly frightened. Her eyes widened and she glanced around nervously, as if making sure that no uninvited guests had arrived. “Oh. Yeah, I suppose I did say that…” 

“Well? Why don’t you tell us?” 

Warrene swallowed and faced Lulana. “My parents… My family… they were… murdered.” Her voice was a whisper. “When I saw they were dead, I hid. B-but I also saw… a tiger. I heard it’s roar, I felt it’s fur- it was coming for me. But then the police arrived, right on time, and I was saved. I’ll never forget the tiger…” 

Trixy tilted her head. “Lulana? We know your weakness is that you can’t lie. Did you kill Warrene’s family?” 

Lulana’s eyes filled with tears once more. “That’s horrible. I wouldn’t have done that I didn’t even know her before school!”

Jaidyn sighed, looking disappointed. “If that was a lie, she would have fallen over in pain. Ah, well.” She continued dangling the katana as the others sat in silence, once more. Warrene turned away, her face buried in her hands. Evek closed her eyes. 

In one swift move, Lulana grabbed the katana and wielded it in front of the crowd, slashing Mwo’s face and cutting a link in her necklace, as well. 

Mwo howled in pain as Jaidyn lunged toward Lulana in an attempt to restrain her, but it was too late. Lulana had already slipped through the doorway and into the hall. As her head disappeared from view, she sent once last message to her old friends. “You want me to go, so I guess I’ll go. I’m really sorry. I hope you’re better without me.”  
Evek looked towards Puna who was huddled in a corner and grabbed her wrist. “Come on,” she whispered. “You have to find Lulana. You’re the only one who can.” 

Puna looked up at Evek. “You’re sure? Come with me!” 

Evek nodded. “Let’s go.” They slipped through the door, following Lulana’s trail. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Lulana was on the roof, staring off into the darkened midnight. No stars glistened from above, and the moon was only faintly seen when covered by misty grey clouds. Lulana’s usually combed hair was rather tangled as it gently blew in the wind. The area was serene and quiet; the only sound was crickets chirping. Evek stepped out of the shadows and stood beside Lulana. Unsure of what to say, they stood in silence for a moment until Lulana turned to Evek. 

“So? I expect they sent you to re-capture me and ask for Sibyl’s plans, or something.” Lulana’s words were bitter and full of malice. Evek shook her head and motioned for Puna to come out of hiding as well. The three stood in silence for another moment before Puna started to cry. 

It was something Evek had never seen Puna do. It was something she’d never seen Lulana do. And yet both of them stood side by side, bawling their eyes out. Puna choked out a word or two. “Why, Lulana? Why did you betray us?” 

Lulana wiped her face with her sleeve. “I’m sorry…” she murmured. “I… it’s just… I love him, and nobody understands!” She hiccuped. “I just wish things could go back to normal, before they left the academy, before the stones, before our powers…” She sniffled and attempted to dry her face again. “Do you… know what happened to my ceramic pot?” 

“Your what?” 

“You know, the ceramic pot I usually carry around?” 

Evek gulped and pulled the pot from out of her coat pocket. Sheepishly, she handed it to Lulana, who examined it. 

“And its contents?” 

Evek shook her head. “Sorry, Lulana. We kind of sort of… emptied it down the drain.” 

“What?!” Lulana dropped the pot and ran at Evek. “Why?” 

Evek winced and turned away. “We didn’t know who it belonged to. We thought it might have been from Sibyl, so we… we got rid of it.” 

Disappointed, Lulana walked back to her post on the edge of the roof. “Whatever. I’ll just get some more, later.” 

“What was in it?” Puna picked up the pot, dusting it off. 

“Some sort of spice. It… uh, well, it keeps me from crying.” She sniffled again. “I’ll get some more.” 

Puna patted Lulana’s shoulder. “Please, don’t join Sibyl.” 

There was a creak as the door to the roof flung open and Jaidyn stomped onto the concrete floor. “Lulana! Sorry to break up the family reunion, but we found something you might want to know about.” Her face contorted in a snarl and she dangled Lulana’s broken necklace in front of the three. “You dropped this.” 

Mwo came up behind her. “We found a tracker in it. Didn’t you say Pacific gave it to you?” 

Lulana flushed bright red. “He gave it to me on the first day… he called it a good luck charm.” 

“I knew it!” Jaidyn threw the necklace to the ground. “Is that why you hold it so dear? Is that why you’re so attached to it?” 

“No! I just… Well, at the time, he wasn’t evil, anyways…” 

“Then why didn’t you break it when he became evil?” 

Ignoring the others as they had their argument, Evek picked up the broken necklace. It had been broken in half from where Lulana had slashed it with her samurai sword, a neat and clean cut. The necklace was a pretty shade of ocean blue, made of pearl-like beads. Evek could see why Lulana might have liked it. 

If they had been tracked the whole time… But she had not worked with Lulana during the first task. How was it that she had been found, anyways? 

Trixy stepped onto the roof, followed by Alex and Warrene, her face showing nothing. Lulana took another step backwards. 

“Guys, please!” She was on the brink of tears, again. “It’s just… I love him! If you want me to leave, I’ll do so, but please stop coming after once you’ve already established your dominance!” 

Jaidyn lunged towards her and she took another step backwards, teetering on the edge of the roof. Swallowing, Lulana whimpered and took a step forward. 

“Please, guys!” 

Evek grabbed Jaidyn’s arm. “Oh, let go of it, Jaidyn. Warrene says she helped free us, anyways. Isn’t that a good thing?” 

Lulana nodded desperately while Jaidyn turned away. “There’s no way I’ll ever forgive her.” 

Evek wrinkled her nose. “Ever? Really, Jaidyn. Nobody holds grudges that long. What if she redeems herself?” 

“Perhaps. But she’s got to do something really, really good. She’s got to stop seeing Pacific, too.” 

Lulana panted. “Please don’t kill me…” 

“We won’t. Lulana: You promise you’re on our side, now? You promise you won’t betray us?” Evek grabbed Lulana’s hand. Lulana turned away. 

“I promise.” 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

“Mother, stop it!” Evek swatted her parent’s hands away from her mangled hair, shaking her head. 

Her parents’ vain attempts to control her mane were aggravating. Every day they would take a comb and a bucket of water and attempt to restrain her, and yet it never worked. As much as she told them, they persisted. 

When will they give up? 

Her mother sighed. “Evek, I’ve told you. Today we’re going somewhere special, and you’ve got to comb that hair of yours.” 

Evek shook her head again. “Mother, combing it would be like killing it.” 

“It would not. Your hair’s already dead.” 

“Is not.” 

“Is too.” 

“Is not.” 

“Is too.” 

Evek threw up her hands in exasperation. “Fine. I’ll try, but there’s no guaranteeing I’ll get very far.” 

She grabbed the comb out from her mom’s hands, tearing it through her wild hair. It had no effect, no matter how much she tried. “There. See? There’s nothing we can do.” She snapped the comb in half, much to her mother’s horror. 

“Evek! You didn’t even try, did you.” Her mother sighed, picking up the broken comb and shaking her head. 

“I’m sorry,” Evek mumbled. “But I like my hair the way it is.” She held her hands up in a protective stance. 

“Evek, please listen. You can’t always go out looking like that.” Reaching into a closet, she pulled out a brush. “Maybe this will help.” 

“Mother, please! I don’t want to. I’m proud of my hair.” 

Her mother reached out a long hand, stroking the brush through. Evek recoiled, pushing her mother away. They struggled for a moment, fighting and fighting, pushing and pulling.

“Evek, stop fighting and let me comb your hair!” 

“No! I like my hair!” 

Evek could barely see; her locks of brown hair covered her eyes as she struggled. As she struck out at nothing, she could hear a faint gasp, coming from her mother. When she peered through her long bangs, she realized that her mother’s neck had been wrapped in strands of Evek’s hair. 

She’s choking! 

Panic filled Evek as she desperately tried to untie her mother, but the knots wouldn’t untangle. How did my hair move on its own? There’s got to be someway I can undo this… As she concentrated, thinking of her hair as if they were extra arms, her hair began to twitch and move. As her mother was untied, she fell to the floor. 

Evek rushed to her side. “Mother, are you alright?” 

Her mother’s eyes were filled to the brim with tears. She said nothing, and the pair sat in silence for a moment, Evek blushing in embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. But she knew there was no taking back what had just happened. 

I’m a freak. A mutant. What will mother do? 

In a moment of desperation, she unlatched the window, sending one last glance at her mother. “I’m sorry. I really am.” With that, she leaped her way to freedom, landing squarely on the balcony platform, climbing down the house from there. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Evek walked alongside Trixy as the group trudged back to their dorms. As Lulana talked about how strange it was that Sibyl, Marigold, Pacific, and Merlyn had been accepted into the academy in the first place, Trixy scoffed. 

“If they don’t deserve a place here, then you most certainly don’t, fish-lover,” Trixy hissed. 

 

“Hey Trixy! Stop being a jerk!” shouted Evek. 

Trixy turned to her. “I’m not a jerk. I’m just… edgy.” 

Evek pulled her off to the side. “Trixy, what’s gotten into you? I know you’ve always been… quiet and secluded, but so have I, and yet I don’t talk to my friends like that.” 

“Who says they’re my friends? Lulana betrayed us.” She sighed, looking away. “She was friends with our enemies.”

“She joined us in the end, and that’s what matters. Really, the only person you’ve ever been truly good to, is Jaidyn.” 

Trixy turned her back to Evek. “It doesn’t matter. I can be like this if I want.” 

Evek opened her mouth, trying to say that Trixy couldn’t do that, but before she had realized, Trixy had disappeared.


End file.
